ERODE: The Sathyamangalam police in Erode district arrested a 32-year-old man on Friday on charges of instigating a minor girl to mix a lethal chemical dye in sambar served to students in a panchayat union middle school in Ramabayalur village. The man, identified as B Arumugam of neighbouring Chinnampathi village, orchestrated it to avenge the dismissal of his wife, Alammal, 30, who was a cook in the school, according to police.The school serves breakfast and lunch to the students under the Tamil Nadu govt’s welfare scheme. The school has 51 students.According to police, cook Ponnammal prepared breakfast for the students on Aug 31. In line with protocol, a portion of the sambar was set aside in a tumbler for a teacher named Revathi to taste. However, before she could taste it, the breakfast had been served to the students. Later, when Revathi tasted the sample in the tumbler, she felt a bitter taste. The sambar had an unnatural yellow colour. Suspecting foul play, she alerted headmistress S Kumutha, 56.A search on the premises led teachers to a Class VIII student whose hands were stained with bright yellow powder. On being questioned, the minor broke down and said that that Arumugam, an earthmover operator, had given her ₹10 to purchase a packet of chemical dye — Auramine O, a synthetic diarylmethane yellow dye locally known as cow dung powder — from a local grocery shop. The girl told them that the man had instructed her to mix it in sambar and promised to buy her new clothes in return. The man had told her that sambar would taste better. Instead of adding the chemical dye in the sambar in the vessel meant to be served to the children, the girl mixed it in the sambar in a tumbler kept for the teacher to taste.Police said Arumugam’s wife had worked as a cook in the school for two years before being sacked in December 2025. “Alammal was sacked as her cooking was not up to the mark. Nursing a grudge, the couple hatched a plot to take revenge,” Sathyamangalam police inspector Vairam said.Arumugam has been remanded in judicial custody. Two special teams have been formed to nab his wife.Medical experts say ingestion of the chemical dye causes acute systemic toxicity, leading to rapid multi-organ failure. With no known antidote available, chances of survival after consumption remain critically low.
