Sresan Pharma owner arrested as Coldrif deaths rise to 22
TN Directorate of Drugs Control had inspected the facility and reported that the drugs were stored in "unhygienic conditions" in the corridors.
TN Directorate of Drugs Control had inspected the facility and reported that the drugs were stored in "unhygienic conditions" in the corridors.
TN Directorate of Drugs Control had inspected the facility and reported that the drugs were stored in "unhygienic conditions" in the corridors.
Chennai: The Madhya Pradesh police on Thursday arrested Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharma in connection with the adulterated cough syrup case, a police official said.
The total death toll linked to the toxic Coldrif cough syrup rises to 22, following the death of five-year-old Mayank Suryavanshi. Mayank was admitted to a hospital in Nagpur in critical condition and succumbed late Wednesday night to suspected kidney failure.
Teams from the Madhya Pradesh police, with the assistance of police officers from Tamil Nadu, launched a hunt to track down and arrest Ranganathan, the owner of Sresan Pharma. A senior police official reported that he was detained following a midnight operation and taken to Sunguvarchatram police station for an inquiry.
The arrest was made at 1:30 a.m., and the search, which began following the arrival of the Madhya Pradesh police on October 7, came to a halt. The police also seized some documents from his Kancheepuram factory.
After being produced in the court here for obtaining the transit remand, he would be taken to Chhindwara, he said.
On October 7, the Sriperumbudur Drug Control Inspector issued a show-cause notice to the pharmaceutical company, demanding an explanation for the discrepancies in the quality and labelling of the medicine. Officials from the TN Directorate of Drugs Control had inspected the facility and reported that the drugs were stored in "unhygienic conditions" in the corridors. The officials noticed a certain risk of contamination.
The Tamil Nadu government had already sealed the factory after 20 children from Madhya Pradesh died after consuming the "contaminated" cough syrup allegedly made in the unit. The Government banned the cough syrup 'Coldrif' in the state from October 1 and ordered the removal of stocks of the medicine from the market.
(With PTI and IANS inputs)