14-year-old Indian girl eats rat poison mistaking it for cake, dies

A 14-year-old girl with a movement disorder, general dystonia, died in southern Puducherry state after allegedly consuming rat poison mistaking it for a chocolate cake.

The incident took place on Sunday afternoon after the girl, R Saloth Nithikshina, complained of nausea and vomiting. When her mother, Mary, enquired, Nithikshina said that she ate the “cake” kept at the window.

A ‘shocked’ Mary told her daughter that the cake she ate was, in fact, rat poison, following which the girl was immediately rushed to a state-run hospital in Kottuchery.

After administering first aid, the girl was later taken to a bigger hospital in Karaikal where she was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. But despite their best efforts, the doctors couldn’t save her.

The police have registered a case under section 174 (police to enquire and report on suspicious death) of the Criminal Procedure Code and began thier investigation, according to the Times of India newspaper.

The girl was staying at home after she discontinued her studies two years ago due to being diagnosed with general dystonia, police said.

A similar incident had taken place in western Mumbai city last month, where a 24-year-old woman died after mistakenly eating rat poison instead of medicine for stomach ache.

The incident took place on August 13 at 9 pm. Deceased Kajol Pawar, who lived in Sakinaka area of Andheri (East), had rang up her mother over and told her about her stomach ache.

She informed her that she had mistakenly consumed rat poison instead of medicine, and asked for help.

Following this, her mother and brother rushed her to a hospital, but she succumbed while undergoing treatment.