Overview
- Two autorickshaw drivers, Jahangir Khan and Syed Irfan, collapsed after self-injecting Atranium near Farooq-e-Azam Masjid late on December 2 and were found dead in an auto in the early hours of December 3.
- Three suspects have been arrested: ward boy Choude Akash, auto driver Jarpati Shiva Shankar, and band player Yamjala Kalyan, who police say were involved in procuring and reselling the drug.
- Neurosurgeon S. Jaipal Reddy, chairman and managing director of ABS Hospital, and assistant Mohammed Vikaruddin have been booked for negligence in handling controlled medicines after vials were left unsecured post-surgery.
- Investigators say Akash stole four Atranium ampoules on November 26 during OT cleaning, sold them to Shiva Shankar, who resold them to Kalyan; Kalyan and Jahangir reportedly bought the ampoules for ₹2,000 on the night of the incident.
- Atranium, which contains atracurium besilate, is a prescription muscle relaxant intended for use only under monitored anaesthesia care, and misuse can cause respiratory paralysis and death.