It was not whisky or wine, but a ripe jackfruit that nearly got three Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus drivers booked for drink-driving at the Pandalam depot in Pathanamthitta district.
Last week, during a routine morning breathalyser test before setting off on their routes, the drivers were shocked to find the device flashing a blood alcohol reading of 10, which is above the legally permissible limit. However, there was just one problem: none of them had touched a drop of alcohol.
Perplexed, the drivers insisted on their innocence. Suspicion soon fell on the only unusual item present in the room — a particularly aromatic jackfruit brought in by one of the drivers from Kottarakara in Kollam district.
The fruit, known for its strong fermentation potential when overly ripe, appeared to have interfered with the breathalyser readings. To verify, KSRTC officials conducted a follow-up experiment. A driver who had earlier tested negative was asked to eat a few pieces of the same jackfruit. Moments later, the breathalyser sounded its alarm once again. The test confirmed a positive reading, indicating the presence of alcohol — despite the driver having consumed nothing but jackfruit.
With that, the case was cracked. The fermented sugars in the ripe jackfruit, it turned out, had played a practical joke on science, mimicking the presence of alcohol in the breath.
The jackfruit in question was reportedly brought by a native of Kottarakara in Kollam district.
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