Customers served dry ice mouth freshener vomit blood; manager arrested
The manager of a cafe in Gurugram was arrested on Tuesday after five people fell sick allegedly from consuming a mouth freshener with "dry ice." A video of the incident went viral late Monday night, showing them vomiting, purportedly blood, at Sector 90's Laforestta Cafe. All five are hospitalized, and two of them are said to be in critical condition.
Staff, restaurant owner booked
According to the police, the staff and the restaurant owner have been booked under Sections 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. "After the food, they (victims) were given a mouth freshener... They started vomiting and had a burning sensation in their mouth," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Manesar) Surender Sheoran told news agency ANI.
Watch: ACP's full statement here
Victims complained of burning sensation in mouth, began bleeding
Ankit Kumar, who was at the cafe with his wife and four friends, filed a police complaint after the incident. After consuming the mouth freshener served to them, barring Kumar, the other five people in the group complained of a burning sensation in their mouths. The immediately began bleeding and vomiting, per the police.
Viral video shows people vomiting, crying in pain
In a video captured inside the restaurant by Kumar, his wife and friends could be seen screaming and crying in pain. One of the men vomits on the restaurant floor while a woman puts ice in her mouth, repeatedly saying, "It's burning." The incident reportedly took place on Saturday, but the police received the information on Sunday.
Trigger warning: Video of the incident
Dry ice can lead to cold burns, asphyxiation
In the police complaint, Kumar stated, "I showed the packet of mouth freshener to a doctor, who said it was dry ice. According to the doctor, it is an acid which can lead to death." Dry ice is the cooled and condensed form of carbon dioxide, which can lead to cold burns and asphyxiation. It can be fatal if consumed.