Canberra, July 24 : Three children in Australia are suspected to have fallen ill from using Pakistan-made Hashmi brand eyeliner contaminated with lead, authorities said.

The New South Wales state government issued a public health alert over the products, the BBC reported.

The kohl cosmetics were found to contain 84 per cent lead, as well as other dangerous metals. The products were legally imported but contained dangerously misleading packaging, the government said.

The Hashmi Kohl Aswad and Hashmi Surmi Special cosmetics were sold in specialty shops that stock Indian and Pakistani goods in Sydney, authorities said.

"Some of the product packaging even specifically states that no lead is present, which is a total disgrace," said Matt Kean, the state minister overseeing regulation.

Doctors had raised concerns when they found lead in the blood of the children, all of whom were related.

"An investigation indicated the health concerns were likely to have been caused by one of the Hashmi brand eyeliners," Kean said. Australians have been advised to stop applying the products. The matter will be further examined by the Australian Border Force.

Other nations have previously issued health warnings about Hashmi brand eyeliners. The products are banned for sale in the US, the BBC said.

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Ludhiana (PTI): Six persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of Congress leader Parminder Tiwari, who was hacked to death with an axe on Sunday in Machhiwara here.

Tiwari, the block president of the Congress party from Machhiwara in Ludhiana, was murdered on March 29 while sitting outside his rented quarters near Takhran village

Deputy Commissioner of Police Jaskaranjit Singh Teja stated the case is neither linked to politics nor gang rivalry.

The main accused, Vijay Kumar and Lucky, were apprehended in Jamalpura village in Munger district, Bihar, by a special team dispatched there, police said.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the suspects aimed to illegally occupy a piece of panchayat land in the Machiwara area, but Tiwari opposed their plans. The accused allegedly visited Tiwari at his rented quarters on March 29 and attacked him with an axe, resulting in his immediate death, officials said.

The other four individuals arrested are relatives of the main accused and were aware of the murder plot, the DCP added.

Police have recovered the axe used in the crime, as well as the motorcycle the accused used to flee the scene.