A woman, a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district, is battling for her life after allegedly consuming acid which she mistook for a water stored inside a sealed bottle at a jewellery shop in the city, the police said on Monday. According to police, a video of the incident has been captured on CCTV cameras, sparking widespread concerns over consumer safety and the handling of hazardous substances.
Representative image
The woman is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Meerut, where her condition is said to be critical. The police have launched a probe to determine how a bottle containing acid was supplied as packaged drinking water.
Jewellery purchase takes a tragic turn
The incident unfolded in the Arjun Nagar area of Hapur when the woman had visited a jewellery shop along with her mother. As per reports, she asked for a bottle of water in the middle of her purchase.
The shopkeeper allegedly instructed a staff member to fetch a water bottle from a nearby confectionery shop. The shop owner took out the water bottle from his refrigerator and handed it over to the jewellery shop staffer, who, in turn, gave it to the woman. CCTV footage which has emerged from inside the shop shows the woman opening what appeared to be a sealed water bottle and taking a mouthful of its contents, believing it to be potable water, while her mother stood beside her.
Woman collapses in pain soon after
Within seconds of ingesting the liquid, the woman began writhing in pain and rushed out of the shop, apparently after the corrosive substances caused severe injuries to her mouth, throat and digestive tract.
As her condition began worsening, the locals and shopkeepers gathered at the scene and informed her family. She was initially taken to a nearby hospital, and was later referred to a medical facility in Meerut for specialised treatment due to the scale of her injuries.
The CCTV footage has been circulating rapidly on social media, drawing outrage and raising questions over how such a dangerous mix-up could have occurred.
Police begin probe
In the aftermath of the incident, the police have launched a probe to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident. As per their preliminary investigations, the bottle containing acid may have been supplied mistakenly to the vendor, instead of drinking water. The cops are examining how the acid bottle ended up among packaged water bottles and whether there was any negligence in its storage, labeling or distribution.
A screengrab of the incident
When the jewellery shop owner was interrogated, he told police that the bottle appeared to be sealed and was received along with a batch of water bottles, leading staff to believe it was safe for consumption.
Meanwhile, the confectionery shop owner has been detained for questioning. Police said legal action will follow on the basis of the findings of their probe.