Police have arrested a cook who is accused of poisoning the school lunch that resulted in the death of 22 people.
According to the Huffington Post, the cook was arrested in central Pakistan and is being accused of poisoning the lunch as a political feud between two branches of the same family.
Sadiq Dogar, police chief of Mailsi in eastern Punjab, said the cook Muhammad Rafiq, was allegedly paid $500 by a politician to poison a family's rival on June 9.
The poisoning also resulted in nearly 50 people becoming sick after eating the school's lunch. Autopsies preformed confirmed reports that the children were poisoned by insecticides, which were found in the food and cooking oil, according to the Wall Street Journal. Authorities discovered a container of pesticide found next to the vegetable cooking oil and mustard oil.
The incident followed recent provincial elections in which Arsal Khan Khichi lost to his cousin Jehanzaeb Khan Khichi, police chief Dogar said Thursday. Jehanzaeb Khan Khichi, was not home when the incident occurred, according to the Huffington Post. Rafiq confessed to poisoning the food, Dogar said.
Police waited until they received medical reports, confirming the individuals who dead were poisoned, to arrest the suspect. Arsal Khan Khichi is reportedly on the run and has a murder case pending against him.
There have been no reports on whether police are still searching for the school's principal, who according to authorities disappeared after the children began fainting.
According to the CBS News, the meal included rice, soybean and potato curry. The meal was provided by the central government's "Midday Meal Program." The program aimed to ensure children at government schools get at least one free cooked meal a day. It's considered the largest school feeding program, involving 120 million children.
