Austrian police have launched an investigation after receiving 13 reports of needles, nails, and pins found hidden inside Halloween sweets collected by children across four provinces.

VIENNA: Austrian police have launched an investigation after small metal objects such as nails, needles and pins were found in Halloween sweets at several locations across the country.

German authorities this week also reported several cases of small metal objects being found inside Halloween sweets.

Austrian police have received 13 reports of metal objects found in sweets collected by children at Halloween, federal criminal police said on Wednesday in a statement sent to AFP.