Poisoned snacks: Grandparents unaware of grandchildren's deadly find
Siblings critical after eating toxic crackers
KULIM - The grandparents of two siblings who are in critical condition after eating fish crackers (keropok) suspected to contain rat poison in Kampung Padang Ubi, Labu Besar, Kulim on Sunday did not expect the children's excitement in bringing home the snack package to end in tragedy.
Saadiah Yaacob, 62, recounted that before the incident, her two grandchildren, Muhammad Akil Syauqi Nur Sufian, 3, and Muhammad Luth Syauqi, 2, had accompanied her husband, Muhammad Nazar Abdullah, 53, to look for cows in an orchard located 50 metres from their house.
Saadiah said she then saw her two grandchildren enter the house and go straight to their mother's room while carrying two packs of crackers.
She then went out to a nearby rubber plantation, leaving the two siblings with their mother.
Shortly afterwards, Saadiah saw an ambulance arriving at the house.
Her neighbour informed her that her two grandchildren were taken to the clinic because they were vomiting and foaming at the mouth.
"My grandchildren came back with crackers in their hands, looking cheerful. At that time, I saw they hadn't eaten them yet because they just opened them after reaching home.
"They went straight into their mother's room. I was told that after eating, suddenly both of them were convulsing, vomiting, and foaming at the mouth," she said when met at her house in Kampung Padang Ubi, Labu Besar.
Their grandfather, Nazar, said he did not expect this to happen as his two grandchildren were very close to him and often accompanied him to look for cows.
On the morning of the incident, he had already told them to go home and did not expect them to take the snack package with them.
He added that the poison found in the snack was likely not rat poison but something stronger.
Nazar expressed his sadness over the incident involving his two grandchildren and planned to take legal action.
"I will take legal action because I don't want this to happen to others. I am very sad because they were close to me," he said.
It was reported that two brothers, aged two and three, were in critical condition after eating crackers suspected to contain rat poison in Kampung Padang Ubi, Labu Besar.
Kulim district police chief Superintendent Mohd Azizul Mohd Khairi confirmed the incident and said the case is being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 related to child neglect and Section 284 of the Penal Code. - AWANI
