Hyderabad: 'Listerine' gets man booked

Hyderabad: A corporate employee, Pavan, washed his mouth with Listerine before leaving office at about 11 pm last Friday to pick up his wife.

At Kavuri Hills, he was stopped by cops and asked to take a breathalyser test. Pavan took the test, but was shocked to find that his blood alcohol level showed 198/100 ml blood. After quarrelling with the police for an hour, Pavan went to Gandhi Hospital for a blood test.

The report is yet to be handed over to the traffic cops for forensic test.

 “I didn’t consume a drop of alcohol. I freshened up at the office using Listerine and left office at 11 pm. Within 20 minutes, I was checked for drunk driving. I had had no alcohol that day. I have been a week running around for a week trying to prove I was not drunk,” said the man.

G. Rajagopal Reddy, Madhapur traffic inspector said, that first, a preliminary alcohol test was conducted and the man tested positive. Then, on the man’s insistence, we conducted another test, and the reading showed 198 again.

“Ten minutes later, he again requested a test and he was detected positive for alcohol levels in the blood,” the police said.

“How can a man who gargled his mouth read have a 198 blood alcohol reading?” the police questioned.

“There is video evidence and as per the rule, no cop accompanied him to Gandhi Hospital. A case has been booked against the man for drunk driving. He will be asked to appear for counselling, before the magistrate. The penalisation is at the discretion of the magistrate,” the police said.

Meanwhile, experts claim that Listerine does not contain alcohol and no substance can be absorbed into the blood by gargling.  

Mr Manish Gupta, senior ENT surgeon said, “Listerine does not contain alcohol. If the person gargled his/her mouth, it is obvious that the liquid will be sputum up. There is no possibility of any substance being absorbed into the blood through gargling.”