Mumbai: ‘Over 100 cones could have been contaminated’

The butterscotch ice cream with the finger

The police suspect that more than 100 ice cream cones of the Yummo brand might have been contaminated with blood from the severed finger of a fruit feeder machine operator. "Blood samples of fruit feeder operators have been taken and sent for medical examination to match DNA and to determine if the person has any serious illness. If any major disease is detected in the blood report, the matter will become very serious and the investigation will get prolonged.

The delivery app's storage unit in Malad

"We are currently conducting a DNA test on the finger digit recovered from the ice cream cone and comparing it with a blood sample from fruit feeder machine operator Omkar Pote. The results will be available soon," an officer from Malad police station said, adding that from the police perspective, the finger digit recovered belongs to Pote. Additionally, an investigation is underway to determine accountability. Neither Walko Food Co Ltd nor Fortune Dairy is accepting responsibility for this incident.

According to the officer, it was discovered during the investigation that officials from Walko Food Co Ltd were present at Fortune Dairy to oversee operations. "We are reviewing the agreement between both parties to understand the terms and conditions under which the work was being conducted. Legal action will follow only after actual accountability is established," the officer said.

The incident

A human finger digit was found in a Yummo ice cream cone purchased in Malad, leading the Malad police to launch an investigation at Fortune Dairy in Indapur (Pune). Several teams were formed and the police discovered that an accident had occurred on the day the cone was manufactured. Omkar Pote, 24, an assistant packing manager working with the company, severed his middle finger while working on the fruit feeder machine. The machine, used to crush ingredients such as cashews, almonds, and pistachios for the ice cream, malfunctioned and the lid of the ingredient container fell inside. Pote's finger got cut in an attempt to retrieve it. The machine was shut down immediately and Pote taken to the hospital. The machine was cleaned after discarding all its contents and restarted.

100
No of cones machine packs per minute