Australian woman charged with lacing colleague's curry with snail poison

An Australian woman has been charged with allegedly lacing a colleague's curry with snail poison. Police in Western Australia said the alleged victim prepared a meal for co-workers in February, which they shared during morning tea. Later, when the 58-year-old returned to eat leftovers at lunch, she noticed bright green granules in the food and experienced numbness on her tongue after tasting it. The accused, who was in a relationship with the alleged victim, has been charged with endangering the life, health, or safety of another person following a months-long investigation. She will face court on 5 November. According to police, the 43-year-old woman visited a chemical storage shed before returning to the staffroom where the curry was stored. After tasting the meal, the alleged victim handed it over to detectives, who identified the substance as snail pellets containing metaldehyde, a toxic compound. Commissioner Col Blanch stated that the poison could lead to severe injury or death. He noted that the person who tasted the curry recognized something was wrong, which likely prevented more harm. In a separate incident in the United States, Aili Wang, a 32-year-old Chinese national and graduate student at the University of Wyoming, was arrested on 6 October at Los Angeles International Airport. Prosecutors allege she poisoned the tea of a colleague, KT, who had pending patents and with whom she had conflicts. Wang reportedly attempted to flee to China after being questioned by police. Authorities claim Wang purchased acrylamide, a harmful chemical, through eBay. The substance was detected when the alleged victim’s wife and others tested water from the coffee maker he used to brew tea. Surveillance footage captured Wang on 27 September rummaging through KT’s desk and on 1 October taking photos and manipulating notebooks on his desk. She was also seen rinsing out his mug with a liquid from her own mug, according to a campus police affidavit. KT began experiencing symptoms such as extreme fatigue and difficulty sleeping shortly after attending a conference in August. He also noticed a strange taste in his tea. A chemistry professor tested the water and identified acrylamide. Wang faces a felony aggravated assault and battery charge in Wyoming, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Wang had no attorney listed in court documents, and attempts to contact her via email and LinkedIn were unsuccessful. The police investigation started after KT began showing symptoms and his wife and others identified the chemical in the coffee maker water. Surveillance cameras were set up in the office space he shared with Wang. Wang allegedly asked eBay to delete her account after purchasing acrylamide twice last summer. She was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport with multiple laptops, electronic storage devices, and documents in her possession. A judge in Albany County raised her bond to $1.5 million cash-only. It remains unclear when she might be extradited to Wyoming.