A shocking case of workplace poisoning has emerged in Western Australia, where a 43-year-old local woman has been formally charged with intentionally contaminating her romantic partner’s homemade curry with lethal snail poison, law enforcement officials have confirmed. The incident dates back to February this year, when the 58-year-old alleged victim brought a batch of homemade curry to her workplace to share with colleagues during a morning tea gathering. After the group finished their shared meal, the leftovers were stored at the office for the victim to eat later during her lunch break.
When the victim returned to consume the leftover curry, she immediately spotted unusual bright green granules scattered through the food that were not present when she originally prepared the dish. Curious about the strange additive, she took a small taste, and quickly developed a disturbing numbness on her tongue – a clear warning sign that something dangerous had been added to her meal.
Rather than discarding the food, the victim turned the contaminated curry over to investigating police officers, who launched a months-long probe into the suspected poisoning. Forensic testing later confirmed that the unknown substance was metaldehyde, a toxic active ingredient commonly found in commercial snail and slug pellets used to kill garden pests. Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch emphasized to reporters that this type of poison is capable of causing severe permanent injury or even death if consumed in sufficient quantities. “We’re just very thankful that the person who tasted the curry was aware of something that wasn’t quite right,” Blanch told reporters in comments published by Australia’s Seven Network.
Investigators have also uncovered key pre-incident behavior that links the accused to the contamination: police allege the 43-year-old suspect, who is in a romantic relationship with the victim, visited an on-site chemical storage shed shortly before returning to the staffroom where the leftover curry was being stored. Following the months-long investigation, the accused has been charged with one count of endangering the life, health, and safety of another person. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance on 5 November, and has not been publicly named to protect ongoing investigative processes.