4 Children Die After Eating Poison-Laced Sweets Found Outside Their Home

Four children of a family have died after they allegedly consumed poisonous sweets found outside their home. Police said all the deceased children were below the age of seven.

The incident was reported Wednesday in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, reported The Indian Express. According to officers, the family, whose identity has been concealed, lodged a complaint against their three neighbors for murder, poisoning, and criminal intimidation.

While two of three of the deceased children were siblings, the fourth was their cousin. "Besides toffees and coins, vermilion was also there in the packet. Therefore, we suspect black magic could also be a reason behind the incident," a police official was quoted by The Indian Express.

Cops said the children were playing when they spotted a packet containing four candies and some coins outside their house Wednesday morning. The children brought the packet to their grandmother, who equally distributed it amongst them.

"After consuming toffees, they suddenly fell unconscious. They were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead on arrival," said a police officer.

Doctors who examined the bodies suspect food poisoning could be the cause of deaths. The police, however, said the toffees and the wrappers are being sent to a laboratory for tests.

"After we receive the laboratory report of the toffees and wrappers, several things will become clear," senior police official Akhil Kumar told The Indian Express. The bodies of the children have been sent for autopsy, the officer added.

The family also reportedly told the police that they faced continuous threats and intimidation from their neighbors. According to the family, the accused, identified as Prem and Bala, had threatened to kill their entire family three days ago.

Recently, a similar incident was reported in Mexico wherein a 2-year-old child died after allegedly consuming a poison-laced cookie, which many believe was meant for her family dog. Heidy Valeria, hailing from the Mexican city of Guadalajara, died after a two-day battle for her life. Though the girl was rushed to a local hospital, she died after suffering two respiratory attacks. Reports added their dog suffered a similar death around the same time.