A 43-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly contaminating a colleague’s curry with poisonous snail pellets at a workplace south-east of Perth.

Western Australian police allege the incident occurred in February at a workplace in Oldbury, where a 58-year-old woman brought a container of curry to share with her co-workers.

As per reports, the meal was shared among employees during morning tea and consumed without issue, police said.

However, when the 58-year-old returned to eat the leftovers at lunchtime, she noticed bright green granules in the curry. After tasting a small amount, she reportedly experienced numbness in her tongue.

The woman kept the food and handed it to detectives for examination. Police said testing identified the substance as snail pellets containing metaldehyde, a poisonous chemical that can cause serious injury or death.

Investigators allege the accused accessed a chemical storage shed between morning tea and lunch before returning to the staffroom where the curry was being kept and contaminating the food.

Police said the two women were allegedly in a personal relationship.

Detectives arrested the 43-year-old woman last week. She has been charged with one count of endangering the life, health or safety of another person.

Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch said authorities were thankful the alleged victim noticed something unusual before eating more of the meal.

The accused is due to appear before Armadale Magistrates Court on 5 November.

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