Stepmother Beats 8-Year-Old To Death Using Tongs, Rolling Pin In UP; Arrested: Cops

An 8-year-old boy was allegedly beaten to death by his stepmother with a pair of tongs and a rolling pin, police said on Sunday.

Police have arrested the accused woman and recovered the pair of tongs and the rolling pin allegedly used to assault Deepak, the victim.

Shravasti district Superintendent of Police Ghanshyam Chaurasia said the incident occurred on Saturday at Fattupur village under the Navin Modern police station limits.

According to the villagers, the victim's father, Rajkumar Dubey, worked as a labourer in Delhi, while Dubey's mother, Kaushalya, wife Archana, their 3-year-old daughter, and Deepak lived together in the village. Deepak was Rajkumar's son from his first marriage, the officer said.

Claiming that Deepak was healthy in the morning, Kaushalya said, "My daughter-in-law sent me to the market to fetch medicines. When I returned, I found Deepak's body bearing injury marks covered with a sheet in the room." Local SHO Shambhunath Singh said preliminary inquiry revealed that the boy had soiled his clothes after defecation, which angered Archan, who allegedly thrashed him, leading to his death.

Sarpanch Rajkumar Yadav said the accused initially feigned ignorance before the villagers, but later admitted that she struck the boy in a fit of rage.

A forensic team has examined the scene to collect evidence, police said.

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