Chandigarh- Madhya Pradesh Police arrested Ranganathan Govindan, owner of Srisan Pharma in Tamil Nadu, from Chennai late last night. Govindan has been arrested in connection with the death of at least 20 children due to adulterated cough medicine Coldrif.
Police and drug control officials had been monitoring Govindan's activities since October 5 to track him down. After being detained at around 1:30 am today, he was taken to the factory of the company located in Kanchipuram, from where several important documents were seized. The authorities are now seeking transit remand to take him to Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh. Chhindwara has been the site of the highest number of deaths due to this poisonous cough medicine.
Diethylene glycol was found in dangerous levels in Coldrif syrup, a type of toxic industrial chemical used in products like printing inks and adhesives. Drug officials in Tamil Nadu revealed that the company was using 46-48% DEG, which is far above the prescribed limit of 0.1%. Intake of DEG can cause kidney failure, liver damage and neurological disorders. Children who consumed the medicine in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan suffered kidney complications, due to which they died. An inspection of Sresan Pharma's Kanchipuram plant found unbilled DEG containers and several other irregularities. The company also lacked a valid Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification. Following this, the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Authority issued an order to stop production. The entire stock of the syrup has been frozen and the company's license has been suspended. Meanwhile, according to news agency PTI, the death toll due to consuming this poisonous medicine has increased to 22 with the death of two more children. Five-year-old Vishal died on Wednesday evening and Mayank Suryavanshi (4) died late last night while undergoing treatment in a hospital in Nagpur. Chhindwara Additional Collector Dhirendra Singh Netri said that both the children were from Parasia town of Chhindwara.