KASARGOD: A class XI boy was tied up, thrashed, and his face smeared with chilli powder by his neighbour allegedly for stealing women’s underwear. The boy denied the charge and said he went to the neighbour’s house to pick passion fruits when he was caught. Based on his complaint, Ambalathara police booked neighbour Umeshan, a BSNL employee.
The incident happened near Attenganam in Bellur village around 5.30 pm on Monday, said an officer. “The boy was assaulted for allegedly stealing innerwear of his neighbour. But the boy said he went to their house to pick passion fruits. We will have to investigate the case,” he said. The neighbour told police that they have video of him stealing the clothes.The boy is now admitted to Vellarikkundu Taluk Hospital at Kodangal. The doctors referred him to an ENT specialist in Kanhangad.
The boy’s mother said he told her that he was going to check on passion fruits in his neighbour’s house. “After around 30 minutes, I heard my boy wailing and I ran to the neighbour’s house, which is above our house,” she said.
“When I reached there I saw my boy bathed in chilli powder with a bra tied around his neck and Umeshan hitting him,” the mother said.She said she rescued the boy and brought him back home.The neighbour reportedly told police the boy had been stealing the innerwear since December and they have video of that.
But the boy’s mother—a daily wage labourer—said she demanded to see the videos and saw nothing in them. “In the video, my boy was near the passion fruit garden.
He did not even pick the fruits and was returning when he was caught and thrashed,” she said. “I asked Vinitha (Umeshan’s wife) if he stole something today and she said no,” she said. The woman said if her son was stealing their clothes since December, the right thing was to inform them. “They should have told me and allowed us to confront and correct our son instead of smearing him with chilli powder,” she said.