SYDNEY: A woman has been charged after a “complex” investigation into an Australian strawberry scare where needles were found stuck into the fruit, police said on Sunday.

Queensland state authorities offered a large reward and the national government raised jail terms for such crimes after sewing needles were found in plastic boxes of the fruit sold in supermarkets in September.

Since the first case came to light when a man was taken to hospital with stomach pains after consuming strawberries, more than 100 alleged incidents of pins and needles found in fruit, mostly strawberries, were reported in September around the country. One incident was also reported in neighbouring New Zealand.

Police said a 50-year-old woman was arrested and char­­­ged on Sunday with seven counts of contaminating goods “following a complex... and extensive investigation”.

“This is a major and unpre­cedented police investigation with a lot of complexities involved,” Detec­tive Superi­n­­t­e­ndent Jon Wacker said in a statement.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2018