T K Devasia ( TRIVANDRUM) December 12 2011 - A mysterious survey involving a bathing soap embedded with microchips going on in the capital city of Kerala and outskirts has been halted by the police following complaints from the local people.
Police sources said that the survey was conduced by a city-based research agency ‘Socio Economic Unit’ for UK-based multinational companies like Unilever Research Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Intertab CRS Ltd.
Under the survey, soaps and toilet mugs with concealed microchips were distributed to locals a few days ago. People were asked to return them after three or four days of use. The people enrolled in the survey were also offered Rs400 as a reward.
The survey was going on for the past few days at Beemapally, Chengalchula in the city and Anchuthengu near Attingal, some 36km from the city. The residents said that two ladies and one foreigner came to their area to convince them about the use of the soaps and mugs.
“They told us that they just needed to test skin problems of our children and how the use of the soap could reduce it. We were not even aware that it was a survey,” said a resident at Beemapally.
The police said that the people who were given the soaps and mugs at the initial stage of the survey had no chance to detect the microchip inside the soap as they had to return it within two days before the device becomes visible.
The agency, which conducted the survey, said that they just needed to test the hygiene level of people. They claimed that they had distributed the soaps to the people after explaining the survey and getting a declaration signed by them. City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham dismissed the survey as part of the usual marketing campaigns conducted by multinationals. He said that the police will examine the chip in detail and if necessary take further action.