Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) A 58-year-old man has died in Delhi of food poisoning after he ate food prepared from buckwheat flour, police said Wednesday. At least 222 people were hospitalised Tuesday after consuming similar food and police have arrested 16 people over the incident.

Parabhu Dayal, a Municipal Corporation of Delhi employee and a resident of Trilokpuri area, died at the Lal Bahdur Hospital Wednesday morning during treatment, a senior police officer said.

Delhi Police have arrested Nand Kishore, the owner of Nandu Masala Mill of Mandawali area, and 15 shopkeepers who sold the buckwheat flour, the officer added.

“We are in the process of arresting some more people involved in the incident,” he said.

Among the arrested shopkeepers are Bajranglal Jain, Tarun Kumar, Azad Nagar, Lokesh Singh, Haridutt Sharma, Vishnu Garg, Satya Narayan, Ankur, Utkarsh, Raj Kumar and Jagannath.

Most of the victims ate buckwheat flour food Monday when breaking the day-long fast observed as part of Navratri celebrations. They had bought the flour, which was manufactured at the mill in Mandawali, from local shops.

“They purchased unpacked flour. The Nandu Masala Mill in Mandawali was where the flour was prepared,” Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.

Most of the victims are from Nand Nagari, Gokulpuri, Jagatpuri, Gandhi Nagar, Kalyanpuri, Trilokpuri and Chilla Gaon in east Delhi.

They were rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, Hedgewar Hospital, Guru Tej Bahadur Hospital, Jag Pravesh Hospital and a few private hospitals.