The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has suspended the license of a Pune-based ice cream manufacturer while investigations are underway following a gruesome discovery. DNA testing has confirmed that a human thumb found in an ice cream cone originated from a worker at the company’s factory in Indapur, Pune.
Authorities in Malad received a forensic report identifying the thumb as belonging to 24-year-old factory worker Omkar Pote. “A notice will be sent to the factory worker,” officials confirmed. Blood samples were collected from all fruit feeder operators at the factory last Saturday to check for any diseases. Results received on Monday confirmed that Pote is disease-free.
On June 12, Dr. Brendan Ferrao, a 26-year-old Malad resident, found a human thumb in his ice cream. He promptly reported the incident to the police, who registered a case under Sections 272 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale), 273 (sale of noxious food or drink), and 336 (act endangering the life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code on June 13. Subsequently, a case was registered against officials associated with Yummo Ice Cream.
Five police teams were formed to investigate the incident. One team visited the Indapur factory, where the ice cream was produced. Investigations revealed that a 24-year-old worker had severed his thumb in a dry fruit feeder machine at the Natural Dairy Company in Indapur. The police suspected that the thumb found in the ice cream belonged to this worker. DNA and medical examinations confirmed this suspicion, with a report sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory. The police received the forensic report on June 27, confirming that the severed thumb indeed belonged to the worker.
The ice cream in question was produced a month prior to the incident. It was transported from the Indapur factory to a godown in Hadapsar, then to Sakinaka and Bhiwandi, before finally reaching the Malad godown and being delivered to Dr. Ferrao. Despite the severity of the accident, no official report was made by the factory. The worker received treatment at a private hospital.
In response to the incident, the FSSAI suspended the manufacturer’s license. The company issued a statement to The Free Press Journal, stating: “Product quality and safety are our highest priorities. We have stopped manufacturing at this third-party facility. We have isolated the affected product at the facility and in our warehouses and are in the process of doing the same at the market level. We are a law-abiding company and shall fully cooperate with and support the authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly.”
Dr. Ferrao had ordered the ice cream through an app on June 12. While eating a cone, he discovered a two-centimeter human thumb. “After I finished half of the ice cream, a big, hard piece came under my teeth. I thought it was a piece of chocolate. I removed it from my mouth and saw that it was a piece of a human body. Being a doctor, I recognized that it was human,” he said.
Timeline of the Event
June 12: Part of a human thumb was found in an ice cream
June 13: FIR lodged against officials related to Yummo Ice Cream
June 14: Police start an investigation and form five teams.
June 14: An ice cream manufacturer releases a statement and stops manufacturing at a third-party facility.
June 16: FSSAI suspends Pune ice cream manufacturer’s license
June 17: An investigation reveals a worker’s thumb was severed during work at the factory.
June 17: Police conduct DNA and medical examinations on the worker and send the report to the Forensic Science Laboratory.
June 22: Police collect the worker’s blood sample.
June 24: A report reveals the worker has no disease.
June 27: A forensic report confirms the thumb belongs to the worker.
