11-Year-Old Boy Dies After Drinking Poisoned Soft Drink Offered By Classmate

An 11-year-old boy reportedly died after drinking a poisoned soft drink offered by his classmate in Neyattinkara, Kerala, India on Monday, Oct. 17.

The deceased boy, identified as 11-year-old Ashwin, was studying in sixth grade at a private school called Maya Krishna Swamy Vidyalaya at Athencode. Ashwin was offered the poisoned soft drink at his school in September last week during a celebration ahead of the quarterly holiday. The soft drink was allegedly given by an unidentified student reportedly studying in the same school, the New Indian Express reported.

Even though the boy initially rejected the offer, he later consumed it following the other student’s insistence. After consuming the soft drink, when the boy reached back home, he reportedly fell sick in the night and experienced fever, digestive disorder, and blisters on his tongue.

Following this, he was immediately taken to a local hospital for treatment. However, after his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to a private hospital in Neyyattinkara for advanced treatment. The doctors at the hospital diagnosed the boy's condition and found that his digestive tract was severely damaged, the News Minute reported.

As the boy's digestive tract was severely damaged, the boy's kidneys stopped functioning and he was kept on dialysis support at the hospital. Despite undergoing treatment, the boy succumbed to his complications and died at a private hospital on Monday, Oct. 17, three weeks after he consumed the cold drink laced with poison.

According to the doctors that treated Ashwin, some acid-like substance was contained in the beverage.

When questioned about the incident, the victim reportedly told his parents that the student who gave him the drink was a stranger to him.

Following the incident, the officers filed a case under Section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison with intent to commit offense) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They have launched an investigation into the incident and examined the CCTV visuals from some establishments near the school. However, the officers are yet to identify the student who gave the soft drink to the child.

The boy's body will be handed over to his family after an autopsy examination is conducted.