Arvind Jain’s satisfaction at treating his daughter to a bottle of lassi from an Aarey booth at Marine Lines soon turned into shock and disgust
When five-year-old Nagpada resident Tithi Jain pleaded with her father for a drink of lassi last morning, she did not anticipate that an extremely unpalatable experience that lay in store. Tithi’s father Arvind Jain bought her a bottle of lassi from the Aarey booth close to Charni Road railway station, but as soon as she took a sip or two, she was overcome with nausea. Her father soon traced the cause of his daughter’s revulsion – to three nails inside the bottle.
Tithi is a senior KG student at SKI Jain High School at Marine Lines. “I stopped my two-wheeler in front of the Aarey stall, near Charni Road station. After having a few sips, she stopped and returned the bottle to me saying that she felt like throwing up. Ignoring her, I took the bottle and gulped down what was left, and was alarmed to see three nails at the bottom,” said Jain.
Jain immediately informed the vendor at the counter, who identified himself as Keshav Giri. He saw the nails inside the bottle. “Anything untoward could have happened to my daughter had she swallowed the nails. The intention behind making this public is simply to caution and warn the public,” said Jain, who paid Rs 18 for the bottle of lassi.
Jain was equally shocked that neither the bottle, nor the cover bore a date of manufacture or expiry. The samples are still with the Jains, who are trying to lodge a police complaint. “Tithi has already decided not to have lassi ever again,” said the shaken father.
Ravi Parekh, who was standing at Aarey stall number 103 at the time of the incident, confirmed that he witnessed the incident. Not a single bottle in the stall had manufacturing or expiry dates. Asked why, the vendor Giri said that it is usually printed on the cover.
A dairy official said, on condition of anonymity, “We have come across complaints of gutkha packets, cockroaches being found in our bottles, but nails is unbelievable. Sometimes empty bottles are kept in rakes outside the booth, and it is easy for anyone to put the gutkha packet or cockroach inside the bottle.
These bottles, once brought to the dairy, go to the bottle washer units and as warm water is used in cleaning them, these objects can get stuck to the glass. However, we suspect that some duplication of Aarey lassi and milk is afoot, which need to be probed.”
‘Come back later’
The Jains said that while they visited the V P Road police station in the afternoon to register a complaint, the officials there asked them to return in the evening, assuring them that they would get the shop owner and decide about registering a complaint.
>> The bottle did not have a date of manufacture or expiry
>> Not a single bottle in the booth had these dates either
>> Family keen on lodging a police complaint
Voices
Jeevan Gaikwad,
owner of the stall
I have had customers complaining to me about cockroaches and broken glass in the Aarey bottles of lassi and masala milk, but this is the first time that nails have been found. I have brought the matter to the notice of Aarey Dairy officials, as this is serious.
Y E Kerure,
Dairy Commissioner
This is the first time I have heard about nails being found in lassi bottles. I will ask my officials for a detailed probe and only then will a decision will be taken on the future course of action. It is a serious matter.
Krishna Prakash,
ACP (South region)
It is indeed a serious matter and if the seal of the lassi does not have a date of manufacture and expiry then it is something that needs to be probed. Duplication cannot be ruled out. I will ensure that the matter is probed thoroughly by the VP Road police station and a case is registered.
