The notice released by the Tiantai county public security bureau in East China’s Zhejiang Province.

In response to the recent online attention on the case of "a couple allegedly being poisoned by online-purchased baby Chinese cabbages," local police confirmed on Tuesday in a statement that the couple has been placed under criminal compulsory measures on suspicion of blackmailing, according to a notice released by the Tiantai county public security bureau in East China's Zhejiang Province.

According to a recap of the case published earlier by Beijing Evening News on Tuesday, Zhejiang Television's Xiaoqiang Hotline program reported on January 23 that a woman surnamed Yang and her husband fell seriously ill after consuming baby Chinese cabbages purchased online in December 2025. Both were hospitalized with symptoms including widespread bleeding, and medical examinations confirmed rodenticide poisoning, with rodenticide components detected in the husband's blood.

According to a report on the case by The Paper earlier on Tuesday, the source of the poison had not been determined at that time, leading to public speculation that the it was the vegetables purchased online that had been contaminated.

The Paper reported that it had learned from credible source that local police's further investigation has identified the husband as the suspected poisoner and he has since been placed under criminal compulsory measures.

The police statement on Tuesday said that a special task force conducted source tracing, scene investigation, examination and verification, and on-site visits. The couple respectively surnamed Chen and Yang have been placed under compulsory criminal measures on suspicion of blackmailing and the case is under further investigation.

The police also called on netizens not to fabricate, believe in or spread rumors so as to create a clean cyber environment.

Global Times