Almost a month after the death of the seven-year-old Idukki boy who was mercilessly beaten up by his mother's live-in partner, the woman was arrested on Friday. The Thodupuzha police told TNM that the boy’s mother has been charged for suppressing facts during the course of the investigation and thereby protecting the accused.
“The woman has been arrested under sections 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and Section 212 (Harbouring offender) under the Indian Penal Code. She will be produced before court,” Thodupuzha Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) told TNM.
Meanwhile, the accused, 36-year-old Arun Anand, who assaulted the boy, has been remanded to judicial custody.
In addition to suppressing certain facts about the injuries sustained by the boy while talking to hospital authorities, the mother gave contradictory statements to the police during the early stages of the investigation, in March. She, however, later cooperated with the police and gave the details.
The horrific incident
In the early hours of March 28, the seven-year-old boy was brutally assaulted by Arun. According to a statement given by the boy’s four-year-old sibling — which helped the police make headway in the case — the seven-year-old was supposed to ensure that his brother urinated before going to bed. However, on the night of the incident, he slept off without taking his brother to the bathroom. When Arun noticed that the younger one wet the bed, he assaulted the elder brother.
The accused forcefully banged the boy’s head, dragged him by his legs, banged him on the floor and squeezed him between a shelf. As a result, the seven-year-old sustained critical injuries, including a fractured skull, ruptured lungs and a head injury with internal bleeding.
Although the accused and the mother took the boy to a hospital, they deliberately tried to sabotage treatment and gave conflicting statements to hospital authorities about the boy’s injuries.
The mother and her partner were reluctant to admit him in the hospital and did not give consent for the surgery, despite being explained the critical condition of the boy.
By then, the police arrived and forcefully made them go with the boy to Kolencherry Medical College for treatment. By this time, the boy had gone 1.5 hours without receiving treatment, which was the Golden Hour.
The boy was then put on life support and after battling for his life for nine days, and died on April 6.
The four-year-old sibling had also said that the accused used to sexually assault the child as well. The younger brother was handed over to his paternal grandfather.