Five hospitalised, two critical after consuming mouth freshener containing dry ice in India

INDIA: Five individuals in Gurugram, India hospitalised, with two in critical condition, following an incident involving a mouth freshener they consumed at a local restaurant.

The unsettling event unfolded at Laforestta Cafe on Saturday (2 March), where Ankit Kumar and six others had gathered for a meal together.

The ordeal, which was captured on video and later circulated widely on social media, depicted a woman in agony, holding what appeared to be ice with blood on it.

Meanwhile, the others were seen desperately rinsing their mouths with water.

Shortly after consuming the mouth freshener, the group began experiencing a burning sensation and noticed blood in their mouths.

This led to bouts of vomiting, as reported by the Hindustan Times newspaper.

Doctors explained that the diners suffered corrosive injuries that severely damaged their oral cavities and food pipes.

While two individuals were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, three others remain under medical care, according to police officers.

Kumar, who did not consume the mouth freshener, promptly reported the incident to the police.

Investigations revealed that the diners had ingested a sugar and spice mix, typically served as a post-meal refreshment.

It was later discovered that this mix contained dry ice, a solid form of carbon dioxide commonly used as a cooling agent, according to a BBC report.

In response to the incident, on Tuesday (5 March), authorities in Gurugram took swift action by arresting the 30-year-old manager of the restaurant on charges of deliberate poisoning “with the intent to cause hurt or harm.”

The manager, who had started working at Laforestta Café three months ago, informed investigators during questioning that the incident was an accident.

He claimed that dry ice was inadvertently mixed with mouth fresheners due to the negligence of staff members, as stated by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Manesar) Surender Sheoran.

The manager was presented before a local court and subsequently sent to 14-day judicial custody, as confirmed by officers.

“We will issue a notice to the restaurant’s owner to join the investigation,” ACP Sheoran added.

According to preliminary investigation details shared by Times of India, ACP (Manesar) Surender Singh informed the media that on the evening of Saturday (2 March), the staff received a supply of dry ice, and a packet of dry ice had fallen on the floor.

“We suspect that since both items look similar, the waitress picked up the dry ice and offered it to the victims,” he said.

“The waitress is yet to be located. She will be arrested soon,” he continued.

Dry ice, the police stated, is often used at the restaurant for a dramatic effect while serving drinks.

As the investigation progresses, the police have announced plans to conduct a forensic analysis of the mouth freshener’s contents.

The case remains under investigation.

Incident occurs during birthday celebration

On Saturday, Manik Goenka celebrated his birthday at Laforestta Café with his wife Pritika Rustagi, along with their friends Deepak Arora and his wife Himani, and Ankit Kumar and his wife Neha Sabharwal, all aged between 25 and 30.

Also present was Kumar and Sabharwal’s one-year-old daughter.

Around 10 pm, after dinner, they asked the staff for mouth fresheners.

A waitress then brought them a bowl of crystals resembling “mishri” or sweeteners, which everyone in the group except Kumar and his daughter consumed.

Shortly after consuming these crystals, they felt uneasy and started spitting blood.

Despite calling out for help, Kumar mentioned that the restaurant staff did not intervene.

Consequently, he reached out to the police, who promptly called for an ambulance.

However, they decided not to wait for the ambulance to arrive. Kumar and Pritika, whose condition was not as severe as the others, took their four friends to the hospital in their cars.

Kumar mentioned that he took some of the crystals from the restaurant’s employees to show to the doctors, and later he handed them over to the police.