Hapur Shopkeeper Detained After Giving Acid Instead of Water at Jewellery Shop

A woman falls ill after drinking from a bottle

July 10: There was an incident in a jewellery shop in Hapur. 

Teacher Riya was in the shop as a customer, police said. They handed her a bottle of what seemed to be drinking water. 

She drank it, and a few minutes later, complaining of a nasty burning sensation, fell inside the store. The crowd moved in on her. A CCTV camera installed at the premises is said to have recorded the sequence of events.

Shopkeeper Arrested, Investigation On

The police arrested the shopkeeper and interrogated him soon. 

In early questioning, he told officials he received the bottle in a sealed condition from the supplier and did not knowingly serve anything harmful.

The bottle has been sent off for forensic examination. Police are investigating the possibility of contamination, tampering, or negligence in the case. There are also witness and shop-staff recordings. The victim shifted to Meerut for treatment

First of all, Riya was carried to the nearby hospital. Later, she was serious, and the doctors sent her to a Meerut hospital for advanced treatment.

She is under medical supervision for health problems, but no specific medical updates have been released by authorities. The investigation is ongoing.

Incident fuels consumer safety concerns
The incident has raised questions about the safety of bottled drinking water and the handling and storage of bottled products.

Residents have asked many questions about how a dangerous substance got inside what looked like a sealed bottle.

Police urge not to jump to conclusions till the forensic report is out. They say the findings will be critical in helping officials determine who was to blame and exactly how the incident unfolded.