Cough syrup deaths: toll in MP's Chhindwara rises to 16 as two more kids die
Chhindwara (PTI): Two more children from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara who were undergoing treatment for kidney failure after drinking a contaminated cough syrup have died, taking the number of such deaths in the district to 16, an official said on Tuesday.
"Today, the death of another girl was reported. So far, 16 children have died in the district," said Chhindwara Additional Collector Dhirendra Singh.
Earlier, the state government had confirmed the deaths of 14 children from Chhindwara who had allegedly consumed the cough syrup Coldrif, samples of which were found to have toxic contents.
Jayusha Yaduvanshi (2), a resident of Junnardeo in the district, died on Tuesday at a government hospital in Nagpur.
Another six children from Chhindwara are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Nagpur, and the condition of five of them remains critical, the additional collector said.
Two-and-half-year-old Dhani Deharia, a resident of Bhariyadhana village in Tamia block, had died on Monday while undergoing treatment at the Nagpur Medical College hospital.
Her family members claimed that her health deteriorated after consuming the cold syrup prescribed by the doctor, and her kidneys failed.
A state government official in Bhopal had earlier stated that nine children from Madhya Pradesh were undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Nagpur, seven of them from Chhindwara and two from Betul.
Before the deaths of Jayusha Yaduvanshi and Dhani Daharia, the state government had confirmed the deaths of 14 children in Chhindwara.
On Monday, the state government suspended two drug inspectors and a deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and transferred the state's drug controller amid an investigation.
Chhindwara-based Dr Praveen Soni was arrested for alleged negligence, while a case has been filed against the company that manufactured the Coldrif cough syrup.
The Madhya Pradesh Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the deaths and filed a case against the Tamil Nadu-based manufacturer of Coldrif.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Record Rs 4.27cr in cash seized from flat of Odisha officer arrested in corruption case
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Stacks of notes packed in trolley bags, totalling over Rs 4.27 crore, were allegedly recovered from the house of an Odisha Mines Department officer, who was arrested in a corruption case, officials said on Wednesday.
The cash was seized from the Bhubaneswar flat of Deputy Director of Mines Debabrata Mohanty, arrested by the state Vigilance Department on Tuesday night, they said.
Vigilance Director Yeshwant Jethwa said this is the highest-ever cash seized by the anti-corruption agency in the state.
Bhubaneswar division's Vigilance SP Saroj Kumar Samal said that so far, cash worth Rs 4.27 crore has been counted.
"Mohanty was booked in a similar corruption case in 2009, and the trial against him is still going on at a court in Mayurbhanj district," he added.
Attacking the ruling BJP, state Congress president Bhakta Charan Das alleged that the recovery of the cash exposed the staggering scale of corruption flourishing right under the watch "of the so-called double-engine government" in the state.
Mohanty was apprehended while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a licensed coal vendor in exchange for facilitating smooth operations, officials said.
Following his arrest, the Vigilance Department conducted simultaneous searches at his Bhubaneswar flat, his parental house in Bhadrak district, and his office in Cuttack, and made the seizures, they said.
Additionally, Rs 1.20 lakh in cash was recovered from Mohanty's office drawer, they added.
Other assets detected so far include a palatial double-storey house in Bhubaneswar and approximately 130 gram of gold.
Besides, there is a 2,400 sq ft plot in his name where a two-storied building is being constructed, officials said.
"Mohanty has 10 bank accounts and lockers in his name. Those are also being verified," the SP said.
A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered, officials said.
Mohanty entered government service as a junior mining officer at a salary of Rs 8,000 in 2004. He worked in Bolangir, Baripada, and Berhampur before being transferred to Cuttack, where he is posted at present, they said.
The previous highest cash seizure made by the agency was Rs 3.4 crore, found at the residence of an assistant engineer in the Minor Irrigation Division in Ganjam district on April 7, 2022.
