Cough syrup deaths: Madhya Pradesh Police arrest pharma owner from Tamil Nadu

S Ranganathan was arrested on Thursday and will be presented before the court in Chennai today. He will be then taken to Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh after securing transit remand.

The Madhya Pradesh Police on Thursday, October 9, arrested the owner of Tamil Nadu based pharmaceuticals company which manufactured Coldrif cough syrup that led to deaths of 20 children.

S Ranganathan was arrested on Thursday and will be presented before the court in Chennai today, ANI reported. He will be then taken to Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh after securing transit remand.

MP Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla on Tuesday said a total of 20 children from the state have died so far while undergoing treatment for kidney failure after drinking a contaminated cough syrup.

He said five children are currently being treated in Nagpur - two each in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and one in a private hospital.

Earlier, the state government had confirmed the deaths of 16 children from Chhindwara who had allegedly consumed cough syrup Coldrif, samples of which were found to have toxic contents.

Around 600 cough syrup bottles have been found in Chhindwara, of which 443 bottles have already been recovered. Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and anganwadi workers have been directed to go door-to-door to collect any remaining bottles to ensure none of them remain in use, he said.

(With PTI inputs)