Thiruvananthapuram: A woman and her male partner have been arrested in connection with the death of her one-and-a-half-year-old child from her first marriage in Nedumangad two days ago, police said on Sunday.
An officer at Nedumangad Police Station said that Akhila and her partner, Ashkar, had been arrested for allegedly subjecting the toddler, Arshid, to brutal abuse, leading to his death on May 29.
According to the police, a post-mortem examination revealed multiple injuries on the child’s body, leading to the arrest of both the mother and her partner.
Police registered a case of unnatural death on Saturday, May 30.
In his statement to the police, Ashkar said that on May 29, at about 4.30 pm, after having food and water and while lying down to sleep, Arshid suddenly started coughing. He then vomited through his mouth and nose, and the food and water he had consumed came out. Following this, he became unconscious and weak.
Ashkar said he took the child by ambulance to a nearby hospital. From there, he was shifted to the SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Upon examination, doctors declared that the child had already died at around 6.08 pm.
Akhila and her partner, Ashkar, were arrested for allegedly subjecting Arshid to severe physical abuse that led to his death on May 29.
The Nedumangad police said the child’s body bore atleast 50 injuries, several fresh as well as healed, indicating repeated abuse over a period of time.
The investigation was launched after the child’s grandparents raised suspicions about the role of the mother and her live-in partner in the injuries sustained by the toddler.
The child’s maternal grandmother alleged that the boy had no injuries when he was taken from her home by her daughter and claimed that injuries were repeatedly noticed on his body thereafter.
She further alleged that the toddler had earlier suffered fractures to both arms, which were explained away as the result of a fall.
Doubting the claim, she had lodged a complaint with the police.
The child’s maternal and paternal grandfathers alleged that there were circular burn marks across the toddler’s body, suggesting he may have been subjected to torture.
Ashkar’s former mother-in-law alleged before the media on Sunday, May 31, that he had subjected his first wife, Amina, to prolonged physical abuse.
She claimed he repeatedly assaulted Amina, banged her head against walls, and, at one point, allegedly attempted to hang her from a ceiling fan. She was left bedridden and unconscious for nearly a year.
She said Amina had only recently begun regaining her memory and was currently undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital.
The family also alleged that Ashkar remains legally married to Amina and that no formal divorce proceedings have been completed.
Tense scenes unfolded in the area when police attempted to take Ashkar to his residence at Karikuzhy for evidence collection as part of the investigation into the child’s death. A group of residents allegedly attempted to attack the accused, prompting police intervention to control the crowd.
