Police rescue 3-year-old boy brutally beaten by stepfather

Kerala - The toddler was hospitalised with injury marks all over his body.

In a horrifying case of child abuse, police in Kerala, India, arrested the mother and step-father of a three-year-old boy for brutally assaulting him.  
According to reports in Manorama Online, the boy's step-father, Vyshakh, 38, was an alcoholic and frequently beat the child under the influence for nearly a month. The toddler was hospitalised with injury marks all over his body.
"He (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," the investigating officer said. Police revealed that the step-father was the woman's third husband while the boy's real father was her second husband whom police also informed of the happenings.

The boy's plight first emerged after the step-father's sister took the boy to her home and noticed marks on his body. However, she was too afraid to confront him, and so asked the boy's neighbours to keep a watch him. The alert neighbours spotted the boy crying uncontrollably on Saturday morning and called police following which the couple was arrested.

• India