'Dead lizard' found in Pakora packet, picture goes viral

A picture of a “dead lizard” found inside a packet of fried pakoras has gone viral on social media.

A man who bought the savoury snacks from a shop in India’s Tamil Nadu shared the picture. He had purchased the packet of snacks on Oct 23, according to reports. When he opened the packet on reaching home he found a dead lizard inside it.

The man instantly lodged a complaint through WhatsApp with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that later ordered a probe into the matter.

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A team of officials of the food safety department visited the shop. After a thorough inspection, it found many violations, including unhygienic conditions, in the shop and had to destroy a couple of sweet items which were found to be expired.

“We received a WhatsApp complaint followed by instructions from the district office as well,” an FSSAI official said.

“The incident took place on Oct 23 but we received the complaint on the evening of October 25. The complainant claimed that when he opened the packet, he discovered a dead lizard inside it.”

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The official said they just received a photo, on the basis of which they inspected the shop. She said the particular type of pakora the complainant claimed was not found in the shop. However, the shop violated many FSSAI rules as it was not hygienic and the products were not properly covered.

“If the packet had been produced before it was opened, we would have taken a legal route as it would have all the details of the purchase date, shop name and other details,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the shop owner has filed a petition alleging that the man implanted the dead lizard inside the packet and demanded an extortion of two million rupees to stop him from taking the issue to the media.