Mumbai

Earlier this month, a Mumbai man was left shell-shocked when he found a severed human finger inside an ice cream cone. The picture of the ice cream cone with a human finger inside it soon did rounds on social media, raising concerns about food and packaging safety. 

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The police were swift to take action against Yummo Ice Cream, from where the ice cream was ordered by Orlem Brendan Serrao, 26, who registered a case against the company at the Malad Police Station on June 12.

Now, a DNA report has revealed that the finger belonged to Omkar Pote who is an assistant manager at Fortune Company in Pune. While packing the ice cream on May 11, Pote lost part of his middle finger on his right hand. The manufacturing date on the ice cream cone matches the date of the incident. Following this discovery, the Mumbai Police filed a negligence case against Fortune Company.

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On June 12, Malad resident Orlem Brendan Serrao, 26, was eating a butterscotch ice cream ordered online by his sister when he sensed something unusual. Upon inspection, he found a human finger inside the ice cream. Serrao initially lodged a complaint with the ice cream company via Instagram but informed the police when he received no response.

The “human organ” found in the ice cream was then sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

A case was registered against the ice cream company, under sections 272, 273, and 336 of the Indian Penal Code, Senior Police Officer, Ravi Adane said. As per some reports, the human finger found in the ice cream cone was about 2 cm long. 

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Also Read | Ice cream horror: Mumbai man finds human finger inside ice cream, police probe underway

Responding to the incident, Fortune Dairy's owner, Manoj Tupe, said his company is cooperating with the inquiry and awaiting the DNA test results. He mentioned that multiple units, including those in Ghaziabad and Jaipur, are involved in ice cream cone filling and that government teams have been sent to these locations for further verification.

Later, Yummo Ice Creams issued a statement, saying, “We have stopped manufacturing at this third-party facility, isolated the said product at the facility and our warehouses, and are in the process of doing the same at the market level. Product quality and safety is our highest priority, we were in the process of addressing the situation. Meanwhile, the matter was escalated, and an official police complaint was filed by the customer."

(With inputs from agencies)