Police halt probe into Ribena case

SURABAYA: Police in Surabaya halted their investigation into Ribena beverages after laboratory tests found no poisonous substances in the currant-flavored beverage, according to East Surabaya Police chief of detectives Adj. Comr. Sudibyo.

The case grabbed the public's attention last month when 40 elementary school students were hospitalized after drinking Ribena beverages, which had been distributed by producer GlaxoSmithKline to Bharata Jaya I elementary school as part of a promotional drive.

With the Ribena beverages no longer believed to be the cause of the children's sickness, Sudibyo said officers were looking into other possible causes. -- JP