Hongkonger held for ‘placing Coca-Cola, 7-Up bottles mixed with urine in shops'
The force said on Monday that the unemployed suspect was apprehended in Sham Shui Po on Saturday for allegedly administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy another person, an offence punishable by up to three years in prison.
It added that the urine was not injected into the bottles and that the man was believed to have targeted supermarkets in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok and Wan Chai in the past year.
The man allegedly acted out of revenge following unpleasant experiences, possibly a quarrel, with supermarket staff. He is expected to be charged and will appear at Kowloon City Court on Tuesday.
'Police stress that the case committed by the suspect this time is a very serious crime, involving not only public health but also the public's confidence in food safety,' Chief Inspector Yau Yu-sing of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said at a press briefing.
The case came to light in late July after a nine-year-old boy felt unwell after consuming a drink bought from one of the supermarkets.
He was taken to hospital for treatment and was discharged the same day with no lasting symptoms, Yau said. Most of the contaminated drinks were discovered by supermarket staff during routine checks.
Yau said police had identified the suspect after analysing a large amount of security camera footage.
Officers seized clothing, shoes and a backpack believed to have been worn by the man during the alleged offences from his Sham Shui Po home.
Seven bottles of drinks have been sent for analysis, with preliminary results indicating a possible presence of urine but no poison. Police said they believed the man acted alone and that the incident was isolated.
Yau urged the public to carefully inspect products before buying them, particularly bottled drinks. He said signs of tampering could include a broken seal, a bottle for a carbonated drink feeling less firm, or a different liquid level compared with other products.
A Swire Coca-Cola HK spokeswoman said the 'matter is restricted to a very small number of isolated cases involving tampered Coca-Cola Plus 500ml bottles in Hong Kong'.
She added: 'We fully cooperated with the authorities throughout their investigation and acted in accordance with their guidance. We appreciate their dedication and thorough work in investigating this matter.'
The bottler added that 'the safety and quality' of products were 'always Swire Coca-Cola HK's top priorities'.
Supermarket chain Wellcome said the safety and well-being of customers were its 'top priorities' and that the products had been taken off its shelves.
'Wellcome has always placed great emphasis on food safety and hygiene. We take this incident very seriously and are in close communication with our supplier. The products have been removed from shelves as a precautionary measure,' it said.
Rival chain ParknShop also said that it placed 'the highest importance on product safety and customer health, and is concerned about the recent suspected case of beverage contamination'.
'Regarding the concerned products, ParknShop has immediately launched an investigation and has strengthened in-store inspections and information reporting,' it said.
'To date, we have not received any customer complaints related to the incident or the concerned products. As a precautionary measure, we have arranged immediate removal of the affected products from the shelves in all our stores and will continue to follow up with our suppliers to ensure customer safety.'
It said that anyone who suspected that they might have bought any affected products could contact ParknShop's customer service hotline for help.
A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety, under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, said it had received a complaint in July via the 1823 government hotline about a bottle of Coca-Cola Plus bought in a Mong Kok supermarket that had an unusual, urine-like smell.
'Apart from this case, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has not received other related complaints,' he said.
The spokesman added that the centre had increased surveillance and testing at retail points in the district, with results showing no abnormalities.
The spokesman said the centre had also inspected the manufacturing plant and found no issues with the production process.
The centre will continue to cooperate with police on their investigation and follow up with the manufacturer to monitor the progress of the case.
Yau said: 'If [you] find that the packaging has been tampered with, or after opening the package [you] notice a strange smell inside the food, please immediately notify the shop or the relevant manufacturer.' -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
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