The manager of a restaurant in the northern Indian city of Gurugram has been arrested after the eatery allegedly served a group of diners with dry ice mixed in a mouth freshener made of sugar and spices.
In a video of the incident, the five diners are seen purportedly vomiting and spitting blood. The clip has since gone viral on social media.
The diners were hospitalised after the incident on March 2, the BBC reported. Two of them are said to be in critical condition, according to news channel NDTV.
The mouth freshener is traditionally served after a meal at some Indian restaurants.
Indian police said the mixture given to the diners contained dry ice – a solid form of carbon dioxide that is commonly used for temporary refrigeration.
The customers were part of a party of six who had eaten at Laforestta Cafe, the police said. They comprised Mr Ankit Kumar, a resident of Greater Noida City, his wife and their four friends.
Mr Kumar, who did not consume the mouth freshener, made a police report.
ST Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition Get exclusive insights into Malaysia in weekly round-up
Thank you!
Sign up
By signing up, I accept SPH Media's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy as amended from time to time.
Yes, I would also like to receive SPH Media Group's SPH Media Limited, its related corporations and affiliates as well as their agents and authorised service providers.
marketing and promotions.
The rest of the group developed a burning sensation in their mouths and started bleeding. They also vomited, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.
In the video, a woman is crying while others are gulping down water or putting ice in the mouth, presumably to ease the burning.
Mr Kumar said the restaurant staff fled instead of helping his wife and their friends.
“I showed the packet of mouth freshener to a doctor, who said it was dry ice. According to the doctor, it is an acid which can lead to death,” Hindustan Times quoted Mr Kumar as saying.
On March 5, the police arrested the restaurant manager and charged him with poisoning “with the intent to cause hurt or harm”, the BBC said.
A search is under way for the restaurant’s owner.
Roast meat and seafood suppliers fined over food safety lapses; directors penalised
Food caterer fined $6,000 for hygiene lapses after 92 suffer food poisoning
Unlock unlimited access to ST exclusive content, insights and analyses
ST One Digital - Annual
$9.90 $4.95 /month
Get offer
$59.40 for the first year and $118.80 per year thereafter.
ST One Digital - Monthly
29.90 $9.90 /month
Subscribe today
No lock-in contract
Unlock more knowledge, unlock more benefits
New feature: Stay up to date on important topics and follow your favourite writers with myST All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com Easy access any time via ST app on one mobile device
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
India Restaurants/Eateries Public health and hygiene Food hygiene/safety
Facebook Telegram More Whatsapp Linkedin Twitter FB Messenger Email Print Purchase Article Copy permalink https://str.sg/fXgW
Read this subscriber-only article for free!
Just sign up for a free account and log in to continue reading.
Diners in Indian city vomit, spit blood after being served dry ice
Sign up
Already have an account? Log in.
All done! This article is now fully available for you
Diners in Indian city vomit, spit blood after being served dry ice
Read now
Please verify your e-mail to read this subscriber-only article in full
Diners in Indian city vomit, spit blood after being served dry ice
Resend verification e-mail
The gift link for this subscriber-only article has expired.
Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months.
Subscribe now
You have reached your limit of subscriber-only articles this month.
Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months.
Subscribe now
Read and win!
Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards
Let's go! Terms & conditions apply
Frequently asked questions
Good job, you've read 3 articles today!
Spin the wheel now
Let's go! Terms & conditions apply
Frequently asked questions