Coconut used to bait rat lands in chutney; 3 women take ill

Chennai: Three women were hospitalised after accidentally consuming chutney made from a coconut that was laced with rat poison in Virugambakkam. Their condition is said to be stable.The incident took place at a rented house on Vivekananda Street in Virugambakkam, where seven women were staying together. Among them were Nikita, 20, of Trichy and Madhumitha, 21, of Mayiladuthurai, both trainees at a software company, and Savitha, 21, of Puducherry, a third-year B Tech student at a private engineering college in Vadapalani.To tackle the rodent infestation in the house, the women purchased rat poison, though they did not decide when to use it. Meanwhile, one their friends Saira, 21, applied the toxic paste on a piece of coconut and kept it aside on a slab. However, she had not informed the others about this. Police said one of the residents had used the contaminated piece of coconut to prepare chutney for breakfast. After consuming the chutney, the three women began experiencing symptoms such as dizziness and stomach ache. When Saira noticed that the coconut piece she had laced with rat poison was missing, her suspicion regarding food poisoning was confirmed.The affected women were later shifted to govt hospital in KK Nagar, where they received first aid. They were later shifted to govt Royapettah hospital for further treatment.Virugambakkam police have launched an investigation into the incident.