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A MUM was horrified after finding a knife hidden inside the box of a toy doll she wanted to buy for her toddler in Aldi.
Haleemah Patel, 29, was doing her weekly shop when she spotted the sinister surprise in her local store on Montague Street in Blackburn on Monday.
She had initially noticed the Blonde Tiny Tears Classic Doll while browsing and picked it up as she thought it would make a "lovely gift" for her two-year-old daughter.
But after taking a closer look, Haleemah saw the packaging had been damaged on one side - before she realised a knife had chillingly been hidden behind the £16.99 toy.
She told the Lancashire Telegraph: "I was doing my weekly shop and browsing through the aisles when I came across a toy doll that would make a lovely gift for my daughter.
"I picked the toy up and the outer packaging was damaged on one side, and when I looked at the toy my attention fell on a metal object.
"I was shocked and amazed to see a knife inside. I had to look twice to make sure it was a genuine knife.
"I could not make sense of why a knife would be part of a toy," she said.The panicked shopper immediately handed the terrifying toy box to a member of staff.
Haleemah explained: "I went to inform an Aldi worker and I told them to take this to the manager straight away. He went and I didn't see him again.
"It saddens me to think that someone has put that knife inside the box deliberately, it could have gone home to a small child."
She has since warned parents to remain cautious when picking up toys in stores that could have been tampered with.
The 29-year-old continued: "Aldi ought to look into how it got inside.
"I would like to raise attention to parents out there to be vigilant when purchasing toys and check the contents inside as this could have been fatal if my daughter had picked the toy up."
Aldi explained the doll's packaging appears to have been interfered with in order to hide the blade inside.
An Aldi spokesperson said: "When Ms Patel noticed this Tiny Tears product had been tampered with, we immediately took it off sale.
"We can confirm that it is an isolated case where the packaging appears to have been deliberately tampered with.
"Our supplier has confirmed that the product passes through highly sensitive metal detectors before leaving their factory and the packaging could not have been compromised during the manufacturing process."
The discount supermarket chain emphasised that the suppliers of the Tiny Tears branded doll never had an incident of this kind.
The supplier also ensures all products are put through rigorous quality control checks and metal detectors before leaving the factory.
The securing ties around the doll and all other components of the toy are machine generated and cannot be replaced, they said.
Aldi said they believe the toy had been tampered with.
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