BENGALURU: A woman was hospitalised with stomach pain, vomiting and dizziness after consuming adulterated sugar bought from a ration shop in Arekere. Lakshmi (name changed), a domestic maid fell sick, on Saturday night and was discharged from Rajashri Grandhim Speciality Hospital at Vijaya Bank Layout on Sunday evening.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Kavya (22), Lakshmi’s daughter said her mother consumed the sugar when she ate ‘payasa’, a sweet dish, and then drank lemon juice on Saturday night. No one else in the house had anything with the sugar in it. “Around 10.30 pm, my mother began to vomit and suffered from stomach pain and dizziness. She took some medicine, and when that did not work, we took her to a hospital,” Kavya said.
The family suspected that the sugar had something to do with it. Sunil Kumar, one of Lakshmi’s employers, was informed about the incident and also given a sample of the sugar. “I tried to dissolve a handful of the sugar in water, and found that some of it did not dissolve but settled at the bottom, indicating adulteration,” he said.
The hospital was also given a sample of the sugar. The doctor who treated Lakshmi advised her to lodge a complaint with the police against the shop that sold her the sugar. However, Kavya says the family does not want to do so.
Kavya visited the shop and informed the shopkeeper of the incident, after which he offered to foot the hospital bill incurred by Lakshmi. The shopkeeper reportedly claimed that such an incident had never occurred earlier and asked her if they still had the packets in which the sugar was sold.Speaking about the incident, Sunil Kumar said the sugar did not look different from regular sugar and hence was difficult to be distinguished. “I am not sure if even the shop owners know of this. It is a concern as it could be a part of a big racket,” he said.