G Ranganathan, 73, owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, has been arrested by a Madhya Pradesh police team in connection with the deaths of at least 21 children allegedly caused by the company’s toxic Coldrif cough syrup.
Chhindwara Superintendent of Police Ajay Pandey told ANI that Ranganathan was taken into custody on Wednesday night. He will be produced before a Chennai court in Tamil Nadu and later brought to Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, after obtaining a transit remand.
Investigations and Medical Findings
Medical examinations confirmed that the syrup contained harmful chemicals, including diethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance, which caused severe kidney damage in the affected children. Investigators reported that the deceased children were from several districts in Madhya Pradesh, including Ujjain, Guna, and Shivpuri. Most had been prescribed the syrup for ordinary colds and coughs and reportedly fell ill within days of consumption.
Health authorities also confirmed that at least 40 other children are currently under medical care, raising fears that the casualty toll could rise. Apart from Madhya Pradesh, some deaths linked to the Coldrif syrup have been reported in Rajasthan, where children developed kidney infections after taking the medicine.
Government Response
Laboratory testing in Tamil Nadu confirmed the presence of toxic chemicals in Coldrif syrup. The findings were included in a report from the Director of Drugs Control, Tamil Nadu, submitted to the Madhya Pradesh authorities on October 4.
Following the report, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered an immediate ban on the sale, distribution, and stockpiling of Coldrif syrup across the state. The ban was later extended to include all medicines produced by Sresan Pharmaceuticals.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Drug Control Department has launched state-wide inspections after reports suggested that more than 2,000 bottles of GoldTrip Coldrip may still be circulating in retail and wholesale markets. District drug inspectors have been instructed to seize the medicine and send samples to the Drug Control Laboratory in Chennai for testing.
