MP Cops Take Coldrif Manufacturer Into Custody

Chennai: The Madhya Pradesh police on Thursday arrested G. Ranganathan, owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the producer of Coldrif cough syrup that allegedly led to the death of 21 children in Madhya Pradesh, at his residence in Kodambakkam in Chennai.

Ranganathan, 75, was taken into custody around midnight by the special investigation Team (SIT) from Madhya Pradesh with the assistance of the local Ashoknagar police. He was booked under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, drug adulteration and violations of the Drug and Cosmetics Act, 1940. He was produced in the Saidapet Metropolitan court in the evening but there is a delay in getting the transit pass to Madhya Pradesh.

Ranganathan was later in the evening taken to Madhya Pradesh after securing the transmit permit, though there was a delay in the court since the documents the Madhya Pradesh submitted in the court were in Hindi. The SIT also inspected the cough syrup factory in Sunguvarchatram before taking Ranganathan to the court.

On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu Drug Control Commission officials under deputy director S. Gurubharathi had inspected the company in Sunguvarchatram and ordered suspension of the production of the syrup until further orders. The commission issued an order banning the drug and stopping its sale and distribution throughout Tamil Nadu until further orders besides taking the samples for examination.

The examinations revealed that 48.6 per cent of di-ethylene glycol was found in the cough syrup drug and an order was issued on Wednesday to permanently stop the production. The officials put up a notice on the entrance of the company, seeking an explanation on or before October 12. The notice also stated that steps would be taken to cancel the company’s licence on Monday, if proper reply was not given.