Woman Arrested After The 'Strawberry Needle Scare' Wreaks Havoc In Australia

Bringing an end to the Australian 'strawberry scare', the police has finally arrested a woman in connection to the strawberry contamination case. As per media reports, police has revealed that they have arrested a 50-year-old woman in Queensland on Sunday "following a complex... and extensive investigation" on the case where needles were found inside strawberries. She has been charged with seven counts of contaminating goods. 

"This is a major and unprecedented police investigation with a lot of complexities involved," PTI quoted Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker as saying.

"The Queensland Police Service has allocated a significant amount of resources to ensure those responsible are brought to justice."  he further stated

As per media reports, over 100 cases of needles stuck in fruits, mostly strawberries, were reported in September around the country. The first case came to limelight when a man was taken to hospital as he suffered stomach ache after he consumed contaminated strawberries. This incident sparked nationwide panic and similar instances faced by the public eventually were talked about on social media.  

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In the wake of the same, Queensland state authorities offered a large reward for identifying the offender and the national government raised jail terms for such crimes. As per media reports, the accused is currently held for trial and will be presented to Brisbane court on Monday. She might have to face 10 to 15 years' of imprisonment if proven guilty. However, the police did not reveal the reasons and motives behind her alleged involvement.

Meanwhile, stores pulled the fruit off sale and farmers were forced to dump tonnes of unwanted berries. One incident of fruit contamination was also reported in neighbouring New Zealand, though it is not yet clear overall how many boxes of fruits were contaminated. 

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Queensland Strawberry Growers Association spokeswoman Jennifer Rowling welcomed the news and said the crisis had a "crippling impact" on the state's strawberry growers.

"However, it is disconcerting that the charges relate to only six or seven punnets (plastic boxes) of strawberries, proving that the majority of... incidents were copycats or false reports," PTI quoted her saying. 

(With inputs from PTI)