Coldrif owner arrested: How cops meticulously planned to nab G Ranganathan after cough syrup tragedy

G Ranganathan, owner of Sresan Pharma, was arrested by MP and Chennai Police for his role in the adulterated cough syrup case linked to child deaths.

With the help of Chennai Police, the Madhya Pradesh Police arrested Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharma owner G Ranganathan in the wee hours of Thursday, in connection with the adulterated cough syrup case, following the death of several children.

'Coldrif' cough syrup manufactured by Ranganathan's company is attributed to the deaths of children in multiple states.(Reuters and X)

'Coldrif' cough syrup manufactured by Ranganathan's company is attributed to the deaths of children in multiple states.

Teams from the Madhya Pradesh police and Chennai Police launched a hunt to trace out and nab Ranganathan.

According to a senior police official, the company owner was detained following a midnight operation and taken to Sunguvarchatram police station for an inquiry.

The Tamil Nadu government had sealed the factory after over 20 children from Madhya Pradesh died after consuming the "contaminated" cough syrup allegedly made in the unit. The government banned the cough syrup 'Coldrif' in the state from October 1 and ordered the removal of stocks of the medicine from the market.

How cops meticulously planned to arrest Ranganathan

The police teams have been searching for G Ranganathan since October 7, after the Madhya Pradesh Police team arrived, and he was finally arrested at 1.30 am on Thursday. The police also seized some documents from his Kancheepuram factory.

After being produced in the court in Chennai for obtaining the transit remand, he would be taken to Chhindwara.

NDTV, citing unnamed sources, reported that to arrest Ranganatha, the police tracked his vehicles, monitored his residence and bank transactions. They also pieced together his movements step by step before he was caught.

A day earlier, Chhindwara police had announced a ₹20,000 reward for information leading to Ranganathan's arrest.

On October 7, the Sriperumbudur Drug Control Inspector had issued a show-cause notice to the pharma company asking it to explain the discrepancies in the quality and labelling of the medicine.

Officials from the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drugs Control inspected the manufacturing facility and found that the medicines were allegedly stored in “unhygienic conditions” on the corridors, and they noticed certain risk of contamination, an official told news agency PTI.

Centre declares three cough syrups toxic after child deaths

The government has declared three cough syrups as toxic following the deaths of children in the past month.

While all the deaths have been linked to Coldrif, regulators in the world's third-largest medicine-producing country have asked consumers to also avoid Respifresh TR and ReLife. None of the syrups have been exported.

However, the World Health Organization warned of potential risks through unregulated channels.

Here are details of three tainted cough syrups:

COLDRIF

• Linked to all the deaths of the children who came from Madhya Pradesh. They died of kidney failure, mostly in a government hospital.
• Made by Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, based in Tamil Nadu.
• Contaminated with 48.6% of toxin diethylene glycol (DEG); the permissible limit by India and the WHO is 0.1%.
• Made in May 2025 and was set to expire in April 2027.

RESPIFRESH TR

• Not linked to any deaths.
• Made by Rednex Pharmaceuticals, based in Gujarat.
• Contaminated with 1.342% DEG.
• Made in January 2025 and was set to expire in December 2026.
• Syrup recalled and the company ordered to stop production of all medical products.

RELIFE

• Not linked to any deaths.
• Made by Shape Pharma, based in Gujarat, in January 2025 and was set to expire in December 2026.
• Contaminated with 0.616% DEG.
• Syrup recalled and the company ordered to stop production of all medical products.

(With inputs from PTI, Reuters)