A private hospital in Uttar Pradesh has been sealed over allegations that a dengue patient died there after sweet lime juice was transfused into his veins instead of blood platelets.

Pradeep Pandey, 35, was admitted to Global Hospital and Trauma Centre at Pipal Gaon on the outskirts of Allahabad on October 14, said his brother-in-law Saurabh Tripathi, who has lodged a written complaint with the health department and police.

“The doctors of the hospital told me that the platelet count of my brother-in-law was less than 17,000 and he would need five units to be transfused into his veins. The hospital staff offered to provide me five units of platelets at Rs 5,000 per unit. When they gave the packets to me, I noticed that they had stickers of SRN Hospital on them. I thought the platelets had been procured from there,” Tripathi told reporters on Friday.

The government-run SRN Hospital is administered by Motilal Nehru Medical College. The medical college hospital has denied any involvement in the incident.

Tripathi said Pandey’s condition started deteriorating after three units were transfused.

“The doctors asked me on October 17 to shift him to some other hospital as his condition was bad. I quickly shifted him to another private hospital on Lowther Road, where doctors raised doubts about the remaining packets of platelets. They later informed me that it was sweet lime juice. He died there on October 19. The doctors treating him told me that sweet lime juice, not platelets, had been administered to Pradeep at Global Hospital and Trauma Centre,” Tripathi said.

The colour of sweet lime juice is similar to that of platelet concentrate.

Dr Nanak Saran, the chief medical officer of Allahabad, said: “We sealed Global Hospital and Trauma Centre on Thursday and formed a three-member team to conduct an inquiry into the allegation. The remaining two units of the so-called platelets have been sent to a laboratory for examination.”

Brijesh Pathak, the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said: “Prima facie, the allegation has substance as the complainant has video-recorded everything, including transfusion of the liquid. The hospital has been sealed on my orders. It is a serious case and the guilty will not be spared.”

Saurabh Mishra, the owner of Global Hospital and Trauma Centre, told reporters: “The platelets had been procured from SRN Hospital and I would prove it with the help of receipts issued from there…. The allegations are baseless.”

Dr S.P. Singh, the principal of Motilal Nehru Medical College, said: “The head of the pathology department of the (SRN) hospital, Dr Vatsala Mishra, has informed me that the platelets had not been taken from us. Whatever happened must be a complete fraud. It was only recently that bags of (uncertified) blood with the tags of Tej Bahadur Sapru Hospital, Beli (Allahabad city), were recovered from crooks. Such things are happening here.”

Tej Bahadur Sapru Hospital is a government facility.

Dr Ashok Agrawal, former district president of the Indian Medical Association, said: “We know that some criminals are selling spurious or fake blood and its components. We appeal to people to buy blood or platelets from registered blood banks only.”