3 held as adulterated ‘kuttu atta’ makes 25 ill in Saharanpur, over 200 in Dehradun
Over 7K kg buckwheat flour seized during raids in Saharanpur from where the flour was supplied, says admin
Three people, including two from Saharanpur, were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly supplying adulterated buckwheat (kuttu) flour that made around 25 people ill in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur besides 200 in Uttarakhand capital Dehradun on Sunday and Monday even as initial probe into the matter revealed that the flour was supplied by M/s Govind Sahay Shankar Lal in Saharanpur, police said.
Meanwhile, Saharanpur district administration, which started conducting raids on buckwheat flour suppliers on Monday, continued with the exercise on Tuesday seizing 7,235 kg of buckwheat flour and sending 20 samples for lab testing. Buckwheat flour in maximum quantity was found at a storage centre in Saharanpur’s Morganj area, officials aware of the matter said.
“We have seized all questionable stock and are conducting a thorough investigation. Any businessman found guilty of distributing contaminated flour will face severe consequences,” said Saharanpur DM Manish Bansal.
Moreover, the Dehradun police arrested three individuals in connection with the case. They were identified as two brothers Deepak and Nalneesh Mittal who own M/s Govind Sahay Shankar Lal firm in Basant Vihar, Saharanpur. Another suspect Shishpal Singh Chauhan was also taken into custody in Dehradun, Saharanpur SP City Vyom Bindal confirmed.
The victims in Saharanpur developed various symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea, after consuming items allegedly made of the contaminated kuttu flour leading to multiple hospitalisation, police said. As the demand for the said flour surged during the ongoing Chaitra Navratri, cases of food poisoning were first reported in Saharanpur before spreading elsewhere.
In Nanheda Khurd, Badgaon, eight people from different families were hospitalised after consuming ‘pooris’ made from the flour. They were treated at a private hospital in Deoband and later discharged. In Nanauta town, a father and son as well as a couple residing on Gangoh road, suffered severe symptoms after eating ‘pakoras’. Similarly, in Behat, four members of a family fell ill.
