Juice vendor arrested in Odisha after 300 people hospitalised 

A day after nearly 300 people, including children, were admitted to hospitals after drinking ‘sharbat’ from a makeshift stall on Maha Shivaratri, Salepur police arrested the vendor, Prabhakar Rout on
Image used for representational purpose
Image used for representational purpose

CUTTACK: A day after nearly 300 people, including children, were admitted to hospitals after drinking ‘sharbat’ from a makeshift stall on Maha Shivaratri, Salepur police arrested the vendor, Prabhakar Rout on Thursday.

Rout (54) of Telipada under Raisunguda was nabbed from Dhenkanal on Thursday night and brought here where he was produced in a court, police said.During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had been selling ‘sharbat’ on different occasions for the last 30 years. Except an old essence which was from last year’s stock, no other harmful ingredients were used in the ‘sharbat’, police said quoting the accused.

Along with Food Safety Officer Prabhakar Pradhan, police collected samples of the drink, liquids and other materials used for an examination. The samples have been sent to State Forensic Science Laboratory, Bhubaneswar to ascertain the cause of contamination.Meanwhile, Cuttack Municipal Corporation has launched a crack down on ‘sharbat’ stalls in the Millennium City on Friday. A special team comprising City Health Officer, Food Inspector and Health Standing Committee Chairman visited different ‘sharbat’ and ‘lassi’ stalls in the city and advised them  to maintain hygiene.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com