3-yr-old beaten by drunkard step-dad, suffers injuries in private parts

A three-year-old boy, who has been brutally assaulted by his ‘drunkard’ step-father for nearly a month, was rescued and hospitalised following the intervention of his neighbours in Kerala’s Alappuzha district on Saturday (February 15). The accused and the child’s mother both have been arrested, police said.

The boy was found with injury marks all over his body, including in private parts, and has been admitted to the medical college hospital, they said. “The boy said he was afraid to go back home. We have formally informed the child-line officials. They will take custody of the kid,” said the investigating officer.

The accused, 38-year-old Vyshakha, and his wife were arrested from their house in nearby Ambalapuzha, where they had shifted a week ago, after their neighbours informed the police on hearing cries of the child on Saturday morning, he said.

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Vyshakh, who had been beating up the child under the influence of liquor, was the third husband of the woman and the boy was born to her and her second husband. According to police, the brutality meted out to the boy was first noticed by the sister of Vyshakh when she had taken him to her home for a day.

However, the family members did not confront Vyshakh as they were afraid of him because he was a drunkard. Instead the sister had asked the neighbours to keep an eye on the boy, police said. On Saturday morning, the boy was crying uncontrollably when the locals intervened and called the police.

The neighbours said they had heard the cries of the boy earlier also, but took it as normal occurrence. Vyshakh tried to escape when the police came, but they caught him. His wife was also arrested as she had remained a mute spectator to the brutality inflicted on the child, police said. The father of the boy had been informed, they said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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