KOCHI: It has come to light that an eight-year-old boy residing at Thykoodam in the city was tortured by his ‘brother-in-law’ who placed a hot spatula and an iron box on his leg. The boy sustained burn injuries and was admitted to the Tripunithura Taluk Hospital on Monday. The accused, Prince Arun, 19, a native of Angamaly -- who is living with the boy’s family -- has been arrested, the Maradu police said.
The accused resorted to the torture after the child returned from a shop late on January 2, the police said. The incident came to light when a neighbour noticed the burn injuries on the boy’s body. The woman shared his pictures on a WhatsApp group which had local residents as members, leading to the Maradu police registering a case.
The police said Prince has confessed he resorted to the torture alleging the boy was lying that he lost Rs 200. The neighbours have testified that he used to assault the child whose father has been bed-ridden for the past couple of years after suffering a stroke. His mother had also stopped working to take care of her husband. Meanwhile, Prince, who had fallen in love with the boy’s sister, too began staying in the same house. According to the neighbours, the accused is not legally married to the girl, the police said. Nor has he attained the legal age for marriage, which is 21 years.
“Prince had sent the boy to a nearby shop on the day. But the boy lost Rs 200 and he returned late as he was searching for the currency note,” an officer said. His parents claimed that their daughter had turned 18 a few months ago. The police will verify her birth records. If she is found to be a minor, the accused will be booked under the Pocso Act too, the officer added.
In the FIR, the police have invoked sections of the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act and sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 326 (causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC. The accused was produced before the Maradu Judicial First Class Magistrate Court which remanded him to judicial custody.
‘He used to suffocate me’
A Class III student of Government High School, Chambakkara, the boy returned home around 6.30pm on January 2. He had this to say to the media on Monday: “When I arrived home, chettan (brother) called me to his room in the guise of affection and closed the door. He placed the hot spatula on my leg. Seeing this, my mother intervened and he stopped. But when she left, he placed the spatula again. Then, he placed an iron box on my leg as the spatula had lost heat.” He said Prince had a habit of assaulting him.
“He used to slap me. When I returned home after watching the burning of Pappanji on new year nearby, he slapped me using a belt. He then attempted to stab me with a screwdriver and inflicted injuries on my body using a pin. He used to attempt to suffocate me with his hands and once attempted to strangle me using a shawl,” the boy said.