Kheda district police on Thursday launched an investigation into the alleged deaths of three people in Gujarat after consuming an Ayurvedic syrup named Kalu Megha Sava, officials said.
Three people have died in three villages in Kheda district — Bilodra village in Nadiad upazila, Bagudu village in Mahuda upazila and Vadadra village in Mehmdabad upazila — in the last two days.
However, police are yet to confirm whether the two consumed the same syrup.
Police said the three men had consumed the Ayurvedic syrup, which they had bought off the shelf at a local grocery store in Bilodra village on Tuesday.
Nadiad Deputy Commissioner of Police VR Bajpai told The Indian Express that they needed to wait for the results of the post-mortem and visceral examinations to ascertain the cause of death. “But the basic common thread is that all of them had bought an Ayurvedic syrup called Kalu Megasava from a local shop in their village and drank it. The Nadiad Rural Police have registered the deaths as accidental. The contents of the bottle state that it has an alcohol content of less than 11 percent. We are investigating whether the cause of death is linked to the consumption of the syrup,” the officer said.
As for the Bagudu and Vadadra deaths, police are yet to ascertain whether the men had bought the same syrup.
Kheda Superintendent of Police Rajesh Gadiya said 55 people had bought the syrup from the same grocery shop in Bilodra but four of them, including the three who died, complained of ill-health.
“We questioned the grocery shop owner for over six hours and traced all the 55 people who bought the syrup from the shop. His father has also now been admitted to the city hospital due to anxiety… The remaining people who consumed the syrup are fine. Hence, we are investigating whether the deaths occurred due to other reasons,” the officer said.
Gadiya said the person who died in Bagudu was a cancer patient while the one from Vadadra complained of chest pain while attending a relative’s funeral, adding that doctors had confirmed that neither of the patients were in an inebriated state.
A police official said police have also sought advice from the Food and Drug Administration to decide further action.
“Such syrups are commonly sold as tonics. The ingredients contain autogenous alcohol below 11 per cent which is legally permitted as a tonic…We have sent samples for testing but the FSL report shows no alarming findings regarding syrup with less than 11 per cent alcohol content…We are continuing our investigation,” Gadiya said.
© Indian Express Ltd.
First uploaded: 30 Nov 2023 15:19 IST
