Cough syrup content found in toddy, shop licensee booked

Palakkad: Excise authorities registered a case against the licensee of a toddy shop in Chittur near Palakkad after Benadryl, which is used as cough syrup, was detected in the toddy sample collected from the shop.
The presence of Benadryl was found in the toddy sample collected from the Vannamada shops under the Chittur excise range. It has not been confirmed why the cough syrup was added to the toddy.
Excise authorities registered a case against the salesman and licensee of the shop in connection with the incident. The case was registered against Vinod, a native of Eruthembathy, and Sivaraj, a native of Arampadam, under Section 57 (a) of the Abkari Act.
In Sept last year, samples of toddy were collected from this shop located in Kozhippathi village under the Chittur excise range. The sample collected by the team led by assistant excise inspector N Gopakumar was sent for testing in a lab in Kochi and the test results received days ago revealed the presence of Benadryl.
The local leadership of Congress alleged that a CPM leader holds the licence of the shops. Congress leader Sumesh Achuthan demanded a detailed inquiry into the matter.