When announcing the arrest of the suspect, the police refused to provide further details, justifying it for the good of the investigation. According to the police, containers with ready-made baby meals were probably tampered with. So far, six such jars are known, five of which have been safely withdrawn from sale in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The sixth one, which is probably located in Austria, has not been found yet. The authorities have published guidelines to help identify the jar or jars of poison.
Attempting to extort a ransom
A German baby food manufacturer claims that an attempt was made to extort a ransom from the company. According to Austrian media cited by Reuters, in March HiPP received an e-mail demanding EUR 2 million, which was to be transferred within six days. The company says it didn't notice the news until two weeks after the deadline. The manufacturer added that the email was sent to a group address that is checked every 2-3 weeks.
The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety has warned parents whose infants have consumed HiPP products to seek medical attention if they notice symptoms of extreme weakness, paleness or bleeding in their children.
In response to the incident, the manufacturer withdrew the entire range of puree in jars from sale on Saturday. It was explained that their consumption could potentially be “life-threatening”.
“The recall is related to a crime that is currently under investigation by law enforcement,” HiPP said on its website.
