The Tamil Nadu Police arrested a 23-year-old woman on Sunday for allegedly torturing her two-year-old son, reported NDTV. The incident came to light after videos of the incidents were circulated on social media.
In one of the videos, the woman, identified as Thulasi, can be seen hitting her son, Pradeep, on his mouth as he bleeds, according to NDTV. In another video, she can be seen hitting the child’s foot and then using a slipper to beat him. The child can be seen crying in pain.
Another video shows that the child has scars on his back, likely from flogging. In some videos, she can also be seen crying.
Besides Pradeep, Thulasi, a resident of Madura Mettue village in Villupuram district, has another child with her divorced husband Vadivazhagan. However, a report by The New Indian Express says that she is still married.
The police arrested the woman after receiving a complaint from Vadivazhagan. They have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing hurt, and abduction.
She was arrested in Chitoor district in Andhra Pradesh and was brought to Sathyamangalam town in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district the next day for further interrogation.
Police investigation showed about six months ago, Vadivazhagan had sent Thulasi to her parental home in Chittoor due to problems in their marriage.
Investigators said that Thulasi tortured the child and filmed it whenever she had a dispute with her husband. The police have two theories for her behaviour.
“The second son [Pradeep] was delivered via a caesarean section, and she had some health problems after the birth, leading to a dislike towards him,” Villupuram Superintendent of Police N Shreenatha told NDTV.
Shreenatha added: “Prima facie, it also appears she was in contact with another person and they were planning on getting married. This caused a marital dispute with the husband, Vadivazhagan, which also motivated her to torture the child.”
The police are currently looking for the man with whom she was allegedly in a relationship.
Psychiatrists have certified that Thulasi is mentally sound and has no mental health problems, the police said.
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