Chhindwara, India – The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested Jyoti Soni, wife of Dr. Praveen Soni, in connection with the cough syrup tragedy that resulted in the deaths of 24 children in Madhya Pradesh. Dr. Soni, based in Chhindwara, was previously arrested last month on charges of negligence for allegedly prescribing the contaminated cough syrup 'Coldrif' to the ailing children. The children, mostly under the age of 5, died due to suspected kidney failure after consuming the syrup. At least three children also died in neighboring Rajasthan after taking the same cough syrup.
Jyoti Soni was apprehended from her residence in Parasia town, Chhindwara district, on Monday night. She is the proprietor of a medical shop from where the contaminated cough syrup was sold to several victims. According to Jitendra Jaat, Sub Divisional Office of Police and SIT in-charge, Jyoti Soni had been on the run for weeks after her husband's arrest and is accused of tampering with and destroying key evidence related to the sale and distribution of Coldrif. She reportedly visited several places, including Bengaluru, while evading authorities. The arrest marks the seventh in the ongoing investigation.
The implicated cough syrup, Coldrif, was manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, based in Tamil Nadu. Following the child deaths, the Tamil Nadu government revoked the company's license. The Delhi government also banned the sale and distribution of Coldrif after it was declared "not of standard quality". Testing revealed that the syrup was adulterated with Diethylene Glycol (46.28 per cent w/v), a toxic chemical known to be harmful to human health.
In addition to Dr. and Mrs. Soni, those arrested include Sresan Pharma's owner, G. Ranganathan; company chemist, K. Maheshwari; medical representative, Satish Verma; wholesaler, Rajesh Soni; and medical store pharmacist, Sourabh Jain.
The incident has prompted widespread concern and action from both state and central governments. Coldrif cough syrup has been banned in Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, West Bengal, and Delhi. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has vowed that those guilty in the case will not be spared. The state government also suspended the drug controller and assistant drug controller for negligence in testing random samples of the medicine and formed the SIT to probe the matter.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has launched a digital tracker for high-risk solvents used in drug manufacturing following the cough syrup deaths. The regulator's ONDLS-based monitoring platform will track supply chains and quality of solvents used in drug manufacturing. The CDSCO also flagged one cough syrup as spurious and 112 drugs as failing quality tests during its September 2025 checks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global alert after identifying three toxic cough syrups in India that have been linked to the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
