Cough syrup deaths: Production manager of Sreesan Pharma arrested from TN

She was arrested after the director of Pharma company G Ranganathan took her name and said it was the duty of the production manager to check the quality of every batch

Published on: Oct 15, 2025, 11:32:03 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Sreesan pharmaceuticals’ production manager and quality control in-charge has been arrested from Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu by the special investigation team (SIT) of Chhindwara police in connection to the deaths of 23 children due to toxic cough syrup.

The decisions come amid a massive outrage across the country over the deaths of at least 22 children from MP in the last one month. (Representative file photo)

“The manager K Maheshwari cleared the batch without quality testing. She was arrested after the director of Pharma company G Ranganathan took her name and said it was the duty of the production manager to check the quality of every batch,” said an investigating officer.

SIT reached Chennai on Monday with Ranganathan and has been probing for the past three days. However, the probe was hampered after the enforcement directorate (ED) raided his premises.

“The company was running in a very bad shape in a 2,000 sq ft area. There was no proper system from quality control to testing as per norms. The department We have also seized some documents including formulation to manufacture the cough syrup,” he added.

Also Read: Cough syrup deaths: MP police arrest Sreesan Pharma director G Ranganathan

The decisions come amid a massive outrage across the country over the deaths of at least 22 children from Madhya Pradesh, mostly residents of Parasia village in Chhindwara district, in last one month due to suspected renal failure after consuming the contaminated cough syrup. Some other children are currently undergoing treatment at hospitals in Nagpur in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, in Chhindwara, police arrested a wholesaler Saurabh Jain and a pharmacist Rajesh Soni for failing to inform them about the stock of Coldrif syrup.

The police had registered a case against paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni and syrup manufacturer Sreesan Pharmaceuticals under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 276 (adulteration of drugs) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

So far, five people have been arrested in the case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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