SURAT: Imagine going to a medical store to purchase a liver tonic for your child and the chemist hands over a familiar bottle of “Liv 52” drops. You take it, give it to your child, and a few days later, you read on the newspaper that the potion you administered was not what the label claimed it to be. It is a tonic used for animals!This case has recently come up in Surat’s Gopipura region, and it has left many wondering as to how many parents unknowingly bought the bottle and gave it to their children, for it looked no different from any other liver tonic.The police have mentioned that the liquid in the bottle was never meant for human consumption.It is a herbal feed supplement meant for dairy animals and poultry, used as a hepatic stimulant and productivity enhancer. And with the arrest of a 45-year-old medical store owner, it has come to light that in the past year hundreds of children have been given this tonic as a liver tonic.
How the feed reached the children
Sajid Ibrahim Mulla, the owner of Shri Shantinath Medical Store in Gopipura, allegedly purchased a liquid animal feed supplement in bulk, from a reputed ayurvedic company, and repackaged it in 60ml bottles, passing it off as a human tonic.
How the tip came in
Following a tip-off of an animal-labelled supplement being sold for human consumption, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and Food and Drug Control Administration officials raided the medical store.
How it all began
“Mulla thought the liquid in the animal supplement was almost the same as the ones prescribed for children. So he decided to fill 60ml bottles with the liquid from the five litre cans. We have reason to believe that he filled 1,000 small bottles in the past year and sold them to unsuspecting parents,” said DCP Rajdeep Nakum.
Made 10x profit
“Mulla would buy a five-litre can of the animal feed supplement, valued at Rs 1,050, and repack its contents into 60ml bottles to be sold for Rs 140 each. From one can, he could make 83 bottles, earning around Rs 11,500 if all were sold. Thus, he would make nearly 10 times the investment,” Nakum explained.
Labels tricked parents
Mulla was also alleged to have bought instruction sticker labels from a local photocopy shop with the print: ‘Children: 10 to 20 drops, 3 times a day as per your doctor’s advice.’
How the net was cast
SOG teams under Nakum, along with police inspector Atul Sonara, confiscated a five litre can of the animal feed supplement, 60ml bottles with ‘Liv 52 drops’ lables and various other bottles of different brands, last Wednesday.An FIR has been registered at Athwalines police station, and Mulla has been booked under relevant sections of BNS for causing hurt by poisoning, rash and negligent acts endangering human life, selling a drug as another drug, forgery and other charges.
