KUALA LUMPUR: A video went viral showing diners in India vomiting and coughing up blood after an eatery allegedly served them dry ice as a mouth freshener.
It was reported that the incident occurred on March 2 and five diners were hospitalised with two of them being in critical condition.
The manager of a restaurant in the northern Indian city of Gurugram was arrested on March 5 and charged with poisoning "with the intent to cause hurt or harm", media reported.
Indian police said the mixture given to the diners contained dry ice – a solid form of carbon dioxide that is commonly used for temporary refrigeration.
They said the customers were part of a party of six who had eaten at Laforestta Cafe comprising Ankit Kumar, a resident of Greater Noida City, his wife and their four friends.
Kumar, who did not consume the mouth freshener, made a police report. The rest of the group developed a burning sensation in their mouths and started bleeding. They also vomited, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.
In the video, a woman is crying while others are gulping down water or putting ice in their mouth, presumably to ease the burning.
Kumar said the restaurant staff fled instead of helping his wife and their friends.
"I showed the packet of mouth freshener to a doctor, who said it was dry ice. According to the doctor, it is an acid which can lead to death," local news quoted Kumar as saying.
The report stated that police searches for the restaurant owner were underway.