5 Hospitalized After Dry Ice Served as Mouth Freshener at Gurugram Cafe

Five individuals experienced vomiting blood and a burning sensation in their mouths after consuming a mouth freshener following their meal at a café in Gurugram on March 2. Ankit Kumar was at the Laforestta Cafe in Gurugram’s Sector 90 with his wife and friends. In a video recorded inside the restaurant by Mr. Kumar, his five friends, including his wife, are seen in pain and discomfort, with one man vomiting on the floor and a woman applying ice to her mouth, exclaiming, “It’s burning.”

Mr. Kumar expressed uncertainty about the contents of the mouth freshener, stating, “We don’t know what they have mixed in it. Everyone here is vomiting. They have cuts on their tongues. Their mouths are burning. Don’t know what type of acid they have given us.” He then urged people in the cafe to call the police.

In his police complaint, Mr. Kumar mentioned, “I showed the packet of the mouth freshener to a doctor, who said it was dry ice. According to the doctor, it is an acid which can lead to death.”

Reports indicate that the victims initially felt a burning sensation in their mouths and began vomiting, eventually leading to the discharge of blood. Rinsing their mouths with water did not alleviate their symptoms.

The five individuals have been hospitalized, with two reported to be in critical condition. The police have filed a case against the restaurant owner based on the victims’ statements.