KOCHI: A 27-year-old migrant worker from Assam was arrested on Friday for allegedly murdering his three-year-old stepson at Chelamattom near Perumbavoor.
The arrest came after the postmortem examination revealed that the child had died of a severe head injury.
The arrested has been identified as Moheswar C, a native of Dhemaji in Assam.
He was taken into custody on Thursday after police found discrepancies in his account of how the child sustained the injuries.
According to the police, Moheswar brought the boy to Perumbavoor Taluk Hospital on Thursday, claiming that he had suffered injuries after falling from the first floor of their residence at Chelamattom. However, the child died later that day while undergoing treatment.
Police grew suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the death after noticing the nature of the injuries. The postmortem findings subsequently indicated that the child had died of a head injury, prompting police to arrest Moheswar on a murder charge.
Investigators also said they had received statements indicating that the accused had allegedly subjected the child to physical assault on previous occasions. Perumbavoor police have registered a case of murder against the accused. Further investigation is under way.