The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated an investigation after a human thumb was allegedly discovered in a laddu purchased from a sweet shop in Ambegaon Tehsil. The incident occurred on June 1 in Gohe Budruk Village, when Ramchandra Potkule of Gohegaon bought 250 grams of laddu and bhel from Nityanand Hotel in Dimbhegaon. After consuming the sweets, the family discovered the severed thumb inside one of the laddus. Some members later reported nausea and dysentery, prompting a formal complaint and a swift response from the FDA.
On Saturday, FDA officials visited the establishment, collected food samples, and issued a warning to the food business operator, labeling the incident a grave threat to public health. Preliminary findings indicate that the thumb likely belonged to the owner’s son, who suffered a severe injury while operating a laddu-mixing machine. The accident occurred during a power outage; when electricity resumed, his hand was caught in the equipment. The machine had to be dismantled to free him, after which he was hospitalized.
Shockingly, the batch of sweets prepared during the accident was not recalled and was instead distributed in the market. Kailash Gengje, the village sarpanch, criticized the shop for failing to take corrective action. “Our team questioned the owner and staff to determine the full sequence of events,” said Suresh Annapure, Joint Commissioner, FDA Pune Region. He added that strict action would follow based on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
