In a major development in the adulterated cough syrup case, the Madhya Pradesh police, with assistance from the Chennai police, arrested the owner of Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals, G Ranganathan, in the early hours of Thursday (Oct 9).
According to officials, Ranganathan was apprehended around 1.30 a.m. following a joint midnight operation and taken to the Sunguvarchatram police station for questioning. He had been on the run since October 7 after the Madhya Pradesh police arrived in Tamil Nadu to trace him. Authorities also seized several documents from his manufacturing unit in Kancheepuram during the raid.
Ranganathan’s arrest comes after ‘Coldrif’ cough syrup, produced by his company, was linked to the deaths of several children across multiple states, including Madhya Pradesh. The accused will be produced before a local court for transit remand before being taken to Chhindwara for further investigation.
Earlier, on October 7, the Sriperumbudur Drug Control Inspector had issued a show-cause notice to Sresan Pharmaceuticals over serious lapses in product quality and labelling. Subsequent inspections by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drugs Control revealed that medicines were being stored in unhygienic conditions, including along factory corridors, raising serious contamination concerns.
Following the findings, the Tamil Nadu government sealed the factory and imposed a statewide ban on ‘Coldrif’ from October 1, ordering the immediate removal of its stocks from the market. The crackdown came after reports confirmed that 20 children in Madhya Pradesh had died after consuming the contaminated syrup allegedly manufactured at the facility.