A 19-year-old girl has been hospitalized after consuming a cleaning chemical served in a soft drink bottle at a restaurant in People’s Park, Pettah.
The incident occurred on December 31 when the girl, dining with her mother, ordered a bottled soft drink. Upon consumption, she began vomiting and was admitted to Colombo National Hospital. She was later transferred to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases for intensive care and is now recovering in a general ward.
Police investigations revealed that the restaurant reused empty soft drink bottles from its main branch to store cleaning chemicals, leading to the mix-up.
Following a complaint by the victim’s relatives, Police recorded statements from three employees and recovered several similar bottles containing cleaning chemicals.
