According to reports, a boy admitted he put a needle in the strawberry, calling it a "prank," but was later arrest.
On Wednesday afternoon, new state police announced arrest for the young boy, after saying that the vandalism of several fruits across the country was an act of imitation and mischief.
Acting Assistant Superintendent Stewart Smith (Stuart Smith) said the police had launched an arrest operation in the past few days.
"obviously, over the past few days, we`ve found a young man admitting to playing pranks, including needle in strawberries," Smith said.
In announcing the arrest operation to the media, Smith said all perpetrators would "feel the full power of the law," according to 7 News.
The current state legislation imposes a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for any such perpetrator in the new state. But Smith said the boy would be handled under the Youth warning system.
On Wednesday morning, the authorities announced penalties for "malicious handling" of fruit, taking into account factors such as the motives for causing harm to potentially damaging elements.
As many as 100 leads have reportedly been tracked by the Australian Federal Police, many of whom are expected to be copycats or hoaxes.
Since a man was rushed to medical treatment on Sept. 9, at least 13 people have found needles while eating strawberries.
In addition, according to other customers, the imitators also hid needles in bananas and apples, which were also reported in the media.
