MADURAI: A 19-year-old woman in Madurai died after consuming a traditional medicine for weight loss, based on a remedy she saw on YouTube.
Police sources said the deceased, Kalaiyarasi of Meenambalpuram, had reportedly followed a YouTube channel promoting the use of Vengaram (Borax), a chemical substance, to reduce body weight. Acting on the video, she purchased the product from a country medicine shop on East Masi Street on January 16.
Police said she consumed the substance at home around 9 a.m. on January 17 and soon developed severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Her parents initially took her to a private hospital in Munichalai, where she received treatment and returned home. However, her symptoms recurred in the evening, and she was treated at a nearby clinic.
As her condition worsened around 11 p.m., the family rushed her to Government Rajaji Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Following this, her father, Velmurugan (51), lodged a complaint at Sellur (Law & Order) police station on January 18. Based on the complaint, police registered a case and have begun an inquiry into the suspicious death.