Abused by his father and aunts

The city police on Tuesday arrested the father and two aunts of the five-and-a-half-year-old boy, who was kept confined for more than two months in a cramped space in the kitchen of the family's house in Trustpuram.

The boy's father, Paneerselvam (39), and his aunts, Mekala (40) and Vasuki (45), were arrested based on a complaint lodged by the boy's mother, Lourdu Mary. The police filed a case under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and 498 (A) (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) of the IPC.

The boy had been abused by his father and aunts and confined to a dark place in the kitchen. "We rescued the boy from under a slab. They made him eat, sleep and live in a 1x2.5 feet space and only gave him a pillow to sleep on. They had covered the slab with a piece of cloth, and finding him was not easy. He was very thin and spoke in a weak voice when we rescued him," said S Vijayakumar, inspector, Kodambakkam police station.

Inspector S Vijayakumar found the child hidden behind a slab in the kitchen, occupying the place meant for the LPG cylinder. Child rights activists said the boy had sustained emotional scars, besides other visible marks (that look like pinch marks) all over his frail frame.

The emaciated boy was kept in the house, where his father's extended family lived. The child had been confined for more than two months by his father, Paneerselvam, a clerk with a high court lawyer. Neighbours said the boy had told them that the injuries on his forehead were caused by blows dealt by his father.

The boy's plight was known when a neighbour called up Childline (1098) last week. Childline activists visited the house and made inquiries.