Garut Police Examine 19 Witnesses Of MBG Poisoning Case

Head of the Garut Police Criminal Investigation Unit AKP Joko Prihatin. (ANTARA/Feri Purnama)

Garut Resort Police are still gathering witness statements, currently there are 19 people in the investigation into the alleged poisoning of the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program that hit hundreds of students in Kadungora District, Garut Regency, West Java.

"The number of witnesses we have examined is related to the alleged poisoning of 19 witnesses," said Head of the Garut Police Criminal Investigation Unit AKP Joko Prihatin as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, September 23.

He said the police are currently continuing to investigate the incident of hundreds of students who experienced illness as a symptom of food poisoning which was suspected after eating the MBG menu in Kadungora District, so they had to get medical treatment.

The steps taken by the police, he said, in addition to conducting laboratory tests on food samples presented in the MBG program, also examined witnesses from the school, security guards, managers of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG), and other related parties.

"In the future, we can still examine witnesses, so they are still dynamic," he said.

He emphasized that the examination of a number of witnesses will continue to be carried out while waiting for the results of laboratory tests of food samples consumed by poisoned students, as well as asking for information from laboratory officers and the Garut Health Office.

"We will definitely ask for the results to take the next steps," he said.

Separately, the Secretary of the Garut District Health Office, Yodi Sirodjudin, stated that he had not yet received the results of the laboratory test for the MBG program food sample.

"Until now, we have not received the results," he said.

Previously, the Garut Health Office detected the number of victims who experienced symptoms of poisoning as many as 657 people, 19 of whom were treated and currently all of them are healthy.

The incident started when a number of students complained of pain such as dizziness, nausea, and vomiting after eating food served at their school, namely MA Maarif Cilageni, SMA Siti Aisyah, and SMP Siti Aisyah, then SDN 2 Mandalasari in Kadungora District on Tuesday (16/9).

The student's condition got worse, then a medical examination was carried out, Wednesday (18/9) until finally students began to emerge by complaining of the same illness to the puskesmas.