Guests vomit blood after Indian restaurant serves diners dry ice as mouth freshener
6 March 2024, 15:31 | Updated: 6 March 2024, 15:49
Police in India have arrested the manager of a hotel after diners were served 'dry ice' as a mouth freshener which left multiple guests vomiting blood.
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Five diners at the restaurant in Gurugram city were left severely distressed and requiring medical attention after they were served sachets of dry ice by the restaurant manager in what is now thought to be a deliberate poisoning.
Footage surfacing on X formerly known as Twitter shows the diners coughing up blood after devouring the sachets, with some downing water to alleviate the burning in their mouths.
Dry ice is carbon dioxide in solid form and is often used as a cooling agent or to create a 'smoke' effect- often used to add flair to cocktails.
Two of the diners are now said to be in critical condition, according to Indian news channel NDTV.
According to police, diner Ankit Kumar, a resident of Greater Noida city - and one of the six dining that evening, visited the Indian restaurant for dinner on Saturday with his wife and friends.
"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," Kumar said.
Blood can be seen as one diner sticks her tongue out to the camera, after eating what was thought to be a traditional sugar and spice mix served after a meal.
Police in the city arrested the manager on Tuesday over the alleged poisoning "with the intent to cause hurt or harm".
He was later charged with the poisoning according to the BBC.
However, the owner of the restaurant remains at large, having reportedly absconded from local police.
The guests can be seen screaming in pain as part of the video which is circulating on social media.
According to the guests, they were also refused help during and after the incident by restaurant staff.
A search is now underway to track down the owner of the restaurant, with police confirming they are currently carrying out forensic analysis of the sachet contents.
“We came to know that the waitress, by mistake, picked up the pouch containing dry ice instead of mouth fresheners, and offered it to the victims," said Inspector Manoj Kumar.
"We have seized the samples of dry ice and sent them for forensic analysis.
“We will find out why the restaurant has kept dry ice and how the waitress mistook it for a mouth refreshment item."
