Police in Austria have arrested a 39-year-old man following the shocking discovery of rat poison in jars of baby food.
According to the BBC, investigations began two weeks ago after a jar of carrot and potato puree was found to be contaminated in the state of Burgenland.
Following the discovery, baby food company HiPP recalled several products.
Fortunately, five poisoned jars were intercepted in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia before any children consumed them.
The case later took a dramatic turn after investigators revealed the company had allegedly been targeted in an extortion attempt. An email demanding €2 million (Sh303.8 million) was reportedly sent to the company.
However, the message went unnoticed until after the deadline had passed, with the CEO explaining that the email had been sent to an account checked only every few weeks.
Police have not disclosed many details about the suspect as investigations continue. Authorities, however, fear at least one poisoned jar may still be unaccounted for.
“However, for tactical investigative reasons, we cannot provide any information about the further steps of the investigation,” Helmut Marban told Al Jazeera.
Following the discovery, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety issued a public warning advising parents to avoid any HiPP jars with a white sticker featuring a red circle on the bottom, a broken lid, or a missing safety seal. Officials also warned consumers to avoid food with a strange or unusual smell.
Health officials further advised parents to seek immediate medical attention if a child shows possible signs of poisoning, including unusual bleeding, extreme weakness, or paleness.
Social media users also reacted strongly to the incident. One Instagram user, Fall, wrote: “NEVER EVER BUY JARS WITH POPPED LIDS.”
Another user, Sunshine, added: “How do they allow people to return opened baby food? Once that seal is popped you can tell the jars have been opened. That should have never been allowed to happen.”