Traces of fungus were discovered in a bottle of saline moments before it was to be administered to a child suffering from acute diarrhoea in a Behala hospital on Thursday.

Following a complaint, police detained the proprietor of the pharmacy from where the bottle had been purchased and questioned him about the fungal traces detected in the bottle.

“Arun Kumar Saha has been detained for interrogation regarding the traces of fungus found in a bottle of saline he had sold to Smarojit Majumdar on Thursday,” said Subhas Sen, officer-in-charge, Behala police station.

“The bottle was packed and bore the seal of the company, so it is not a case of adulteration. Saha will be charged if it is proved that he had sold the bottle in spite of knowing about the fungal contamination. The company says it is normal for a bottle to be faulty among every 500 or so,” Sen added.

Titli Majumdar, aged a year-and-a-half, had been admitted to Mohanananda Hospital, located near the Rai Bahadur Road-James Long Sarani intersection in Behala, for treatment of severe diarrhoea on February 5.

The disease had taken a toll on her over the past few days and she had weakened considerably when doctors examined her. Given her age, doctors felt it necessary to revitalise her before starting medication.

Titli’s father, Smarojit Majumdar, a resident of Behala, was asked to buy a saline bottle so that she could be put on drip.

Majumdar, accordingly, bought a saline bottle from a nearby pharmacy and brought it to the hospital.

It was a nurse’s alertness that averted a mishap. She noticed that the saline bottle contained traces of fungus and immediately informed the child’s father. Majumdar rushed back to the pharmacy and demanded an explanation.

After initially denying that the saline bottle was contaminated, Saha tried to negotiate with Majumdar. At first he said he would replace the bottle with a fresh one; then he offered to reimburse him.

Shocked at the man’s apathetic reaction to the gravity of the case, Majumdar decided to call in the police.

Police picked up the pharmacy proprietor and detained him for questioning.

Woman found dead

Hasina Begum, 20, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her in-laws’ in Katra village, in Uluberia, on Saturday. “Hasina’s husband Marfat and father-in-law Abdul Gorey have been arrested on suspicion of foul play,” said additional superintendent of police (rural) H.K. Kusumaker. The body has been sent for a post-mortem. Local residents alleged that Hasina’s husband and in-laws would regularly beat her up. The couple was married for three years.