Poison-Laced Toffees Claim 7-Year-Old's Life In UP's Kaushambi, Death Toll Climbs To 3

A seven-year-old girl who became ill after eating poisoned toffees died in a hospital, bringing the total number of deaths in the incident to three.

A heart-wrenching incident unfolded as a seven-year-old girl, who fell critically ill after consuming poison-laced toffees, passed away in a local hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi on Sunday. This development brings the death toll to three in connection with the incident, news agency PTI reported citing statements from the local police.

On Thursday, two sisters, Sadhna (7) and Shalini (4), reportedly consumed tainted toffees in a village within this district. The siblings died as a result of the poisonous confections, raising concerns and prompting an investigation into the source of the poisonous confections.

Further complicating matters, two neighbouring girls, Versha (7) and Arushi (4) were also affected after eating the same toffees. Both were taken to the hospital for immediate medical attention.

According to the report, Versha's condition deteriorated, and she lost her life on Sunday morning while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Arushi's situation remains dire, and medical staff are making every effort to stabilise her condition, according to Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, the report said.

Sadhna and Shalini's father filed a police complaint, alleging that the girls received the poisoned toffees from their neighbour, Shiv Shankar. Authorities launched an investigation after the complaint was filed, and the accused were arrested on Friday.

In shedding light on the motives behind the heinous act, Superintendent Srivastava stated, "Prima facie, it appears that the accused had some personal rivalry against the father of the deceased girls. To exact his vengeance, he planted poison-laced toffees," PTI quoted him as saying. 

The suspect is currently in police custody, and the investigation is ongoing to uncover any further details, he added. 

Earlier in the month of May, four children, including three siblings, died after eating "poisonous" toffee in the Kasya area of the Kushinagar district. 

CM Yogi Adityanath had expressed his condolences and ordered an investigation into the incident. He also instructed officials to assist the bereaved family.  

According to media reports, the children went unconscious after eating the allegedly poisonous toffees and were rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared them dead.