Two students who consumed pickled fruits from a bunk shop at Varakkal Beach in Kozhikode district were admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital on Tuesday following burn injuries.
The students, Mohammed and Sabid, both 14 years old, from Thrikaripur in Kasaragod district, were in Kozhikode as part of a study tour from their madrasa. They ate fruits kept in brine from the shop and felt it was too spicy. They found a bottle in the shop which they thought contained water and consumed the liquid. However, it turned out that the bottle was filled with acid. The boy who drank it suffered burns in the mouth while the other sustained injuries when the former vomitted on him. The duo were later discharged from the hospital and left for their hometown.
There have been several complaints about shops in the city using acid to ensure that fruits absorbed salt quicker than normal. Food safety officials had cracked down on such shops a few years ago and put an end to the practice, which, however, seems to be returning now. But, this is the first case of direct consumption of acid from a shop selling pickled fruits, said sources at the Office of the Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety.
