The manager of a restaurant in Gurugram was arrested on Tuesday after five people were hospitalised upon ingesting dry ice, offered to them as mouth freshener in a “mix-up” by the staff.
According to Ankit Kumar, the complainant, he and four others — Neha, Deepak, Manika, and Himani — had gone for dinner to the restaurant in Sector 90, and were offered the “mouth freshener” by a waiter after finishing their meal. As soon as they consumed it, they experienced a burning sensation, causing them to vomit blood — a purported video of which has since gone viral online.
When their condition deteriorated, they confronted the manager, leading the waiter to bring forth the polythene bag from which the substance had been served. The victims took the bag with them, and a doctor who examined its contents later told them that they had accidentally consumed dry ice — the cooled form of the gas carbon dioxide known to cause serious health problems if ingested.
Mr. Kumar in his FIR also alleged that the restaurant staff did not come to their rescue despite them falling violently ill on the restaurant’s premises. The complaint added that they were only taken to hospital by the police in a private ambulance after they made a PCR call.
Gagandeep Singh, the manager of the restaurant, was arrested on charges of administering harmful substances with intention to cause harm, and criminal conspiracy, and was remanded in judicial custody.
According to Additional Station House Officer at Kherki Daula and sub-inspector Arya Krishnan, the manager told the police during interrogation that the restaurant staff mistook the inflammable substance for “mishri” (rock sugar) due to the physical resemblance and similar packaging.
The police added that three of the victims have been discharged, while two are still in hospital.