New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, police on Wednesday night arrested G. Ranganathan, owner of Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the cough syrup Coldrif, which has been linked to the deaths of at least 17 children in Madhya Pradesh. The arrest came after a meticulously coordinated operation involving multiple agencies that tracked the Chennai-based pharma owner’s movements, financial transactions, and communications before finally cornering him at his residence in Kodambakkam.
Officials said Ranganathan was detained around 12.30 am in an operation that included the Madhya Pradesh Special Investigation Team (SIT), cyber experts, and Tamil Nadu police. He is being taken to Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, where most of the fatalities occurred, for further questioning. Investigators also seized documents from Sresan’s manufacturing unit in Kancheepuram and are examining production and testing records of the toxic batch.
Laboratory tests had earlier confirmed that Coldrif contained 48.6 percent diethylene glycol (DEG)—a toxic industrial chemical—far exceeding the permissible limit of 0.1 percent. The contaminated syrup, meant for children suffering from cough and cold, caused kidney failure and death in several cases. Authorities have now banned the production, sale, and distribution of Coldrif nationwide, and the company’s drug manufacturing licence is being permanently cancelled. Over 400 bottles have been seized from various districts, and the police have traced about 200 bottles that had already entered the market.
The Madhya Pradesh government has also arrested a doctor in Chhindwara for allegedly prescribing Coldrif to children, in violation of standard medical norms. The state drug authorities are investigating whether the product passed mandatory quality tests before being cleared for sale.
The World Health Organization (WHO), which has sought details from Indian authorities, has warned against the use of cough syrups in children without medical supervision and called for a full probe into whether the tainted batch was exported. The global health body has also reminded India of its earlier commitment to tighten pharmaceutical testing protocols after a similar tragedy in 2022, when more than 60 children died in The Gambia after consuming Indian-made cough syrups found to contain the same poisonous chemical.
Following that episode, India had mandated testing of all export-bound cough syrups at government-approved laboratories. However, critics say the domestic surveillance system remains weak, with gaps in manufacturing oversight and enforcement allowing substandard medicines to slip through.
The latest tragedy has reignited concerns about India’s pharmaceutical safety framework, especially for paediatric formulations. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Drugs Controller General of India, seeking a detailed report on the lapses that led to the deaths and the steps being taken to prevent recurrence.
Ranganathan faces charges under sections of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, drug adulteration, and violations of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Police sources said more arrests are likely, including distributors and testing officials who allegedly failed to flag the contaminated batch.
