An Indonesian woman is experiencing sore throat, fever, and headache, having unintentionally consumed fake or synthetic rice, for four consecutive days.

Filmed on Saturday (September 30), footage shows Bukittinggi city police officers in West Sumatra province, inspecting rice in Desi's (30) kitchen.

The rice appears dissimilar from the typically consumed variety - plain white, flat, and uniformly printed. The rice cost 5,000 IDR less than the usual price of 19,000 IDR per kg.

Desi bought the rice on 13 September to feed herself and her two children. However, she fell ill four days later and is currently suffering from a persistent sore throat, headache, and fever. The pain subsides at times but worsens again at night. "When cooked, the rice bounces when clenched and thrown on the table, that tends to harden easily and spoil quickly, unlike regular rice," said Desi, a housewife who sells fried rice.

Adj. Insp. One Atma Putra, a police officer of Bukittinggi Police Station, the victim Desi purchased 5 kg of rice, of which 3 kg was consumed, while 1 kg was used as evidence for investigation. "The victim sought medical attention at the health centre and Bukittinggi Hospital and drank gourd fruit water but was not cured." police Putra added.

Desi had a fever and after she looked for the cause it turned out that the rice was from synthetic or plastic rice.

Along with other suspected cases, the distribution of synthetic rice is currently under scrutiny, and laboratory tests are underway to confirm the rice type.