A woman has had the tips of five of her toes removed after police say a coworker who was stalking her slipped hydrofluoric acid into her shoes.

Tatsujiro Fukazawa of Gotemba, Japan, was arrested yesterday after police linked him to the bizarre crime.

According to the official report, Fukazawa, 40, had "romantic feelings" for the victim with whom he worked at a commercial lab, and had been stalking the woman, also in her 40s, for an unspecified period of time.

For reasons unknown, he allegedly decided to poison the victim by spiking her shoes with Hydrofluoric acid — also known as hydrogen fluoride.

The CDC says that contact with hydrogen fluoride "may result in persistent pain, bone loss, and injury to the nail bed."

When the victim arrived at the hospital complaining of pain in her left foot, doctors discovered she was suffering from gangrene and were forced to amputate the tips of all five toes.

For his part, Fukazawa denies the allegations against him, which appear to be mounting by the minute. Police now say they are investigating the possibility that Fukasawa poisoned a pair of the victim's boots as well.

[photo via Shutterstock]