Chennai: In AC Room, 2 Kids Die Inhaling Toxic Fumes From Rat Poison; Pvt Pest Control Worker Held

A 6-year-old and her toddler brother died not responding to the treatment while their parents are battling for their life following rat repellant spray exposure.

Chennai: An employee of a pest control firm was arrested after two children - aged one and six - died after being exposed to fumes from rat repellent sprayed in their air-conditioned bedroom by the arrested individual, officials said.

The arrested was identified as Dinakaran.

Police said Giritharan who works in a private bank approached a pet control company to rid his house of rodent infestation. He identified a company through an online service provider and hired them. The company based at T Nagar sent its employees who sprayed pesticides, applied some in gel and also kept some as tablets outside the house on Wednesday.

Giritharan's wife Pavithra had taken the children out to a temple when the pest control services were at work. She returned home with children later in the evening. All four slept in their bedroom with the air-condition machine on, they said.

"The family woke up to breathing difficulty and vomiting on Thursday morning and were admitted to a private hospital in Kundrathur," a police official who is privy to the investigation said.

Not responding to the treatment, the children died. The deceased were identified as Vaishnavi and her younger brother Sai Sudharshan. The bodies were moved to Chromepet Government hospital for postmortem. The parents were moved to a private hospital in Porur, where they were admitted to the intensive care unit.

Police, quoting doctors, said the pesticide used by the pest control agency could have dispersed into the air to for aerosol and that could have accumulated in the lungs of all four. "This could have triggered the asphyxiation and caused the deaths of the children," they said.

The Kundrathur police took swift action against the T Nagar-based pest control company by registering a case against three individuals from the firm.

While Dinakaran, the pest control agent was arrested, police are tracing the two others who are still absconding. Police are trying to trace the duo with the aid of the Tambaram forensic experts who visited the spot and collected samples.