5 diners at Gurgaon eatery hospitalised after mistakenly being served dry ice as mouth freshener

“Upon consuming it, they experienced a burning sensation in their mouths, followed by bleeding… they started throwing up blood. I did not consume the mouth freshener as I was holding my one-year-old daughter, Durvaksi, in my lap. We inquired about the contents of what we were given and the waiter showed us an open polythene packet, which I took possession of,” said the Greater Noida resident in his complaint.

Ankit then called police and arranged for an ambulance to take his friends to Aarvy Hospital in Sector 90. The complainant claimed the doctor examined the ‘mouth freshener’ sample, which he had taken along with him, and said it was dry ice. “The doctor advised us to hand over the packet to the hospital… He said it could be fatal,” Ankit said, urging the police to file a complaint against the restaurant.
Police said they have registered an FIR against the waiter, who gave them the substance, under IPC sections of causing hurt by poison and criminal conspiracy at Kherki Daula police station. As per the FIR, the doctor said the patients suffered chemical burns poisoning.

“We have sent the sample to FSL to ascertain what the substance was. Prima facie, it is dry ice and the staff mistook it for mouth freshener. Three people are still admitted to the hospital, but their condition is better,” said police.

Meanwhile, the restaurant’s manager, Gagan, said it was the negligence of the staff that led to the incident. “The incident took place after the dinner and the staff gave out the substance. Police are taking action against the staffer and they have taken samples,” he added.