In a shocking case of alleged child abuse in Telangana's Suryapet, a couple has been arrested for allegedly beating their two sons with iron rods, branding them with heated objects and inflicting cigarette burns.
The accused, identified as Nakirikanti Ravi, a 43-year-old truck driver, and his wife, Indu, allegedly assaulted the boys, Dhanush (5) and Revanth (2), at their residence in Huzurnagar.
According to officials, the children bore multiple burn and scratch marks, while the younger child had suffered a fracture to his left wrist.
The incident came to light after neighbours, alarmed by the children's cries and visible injuries, alerted authorities.
Locals rescued the children and, along with officials from the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the District Child Protection Unit and Childline, ensured that they received immediate medical attention.
ICDS supervisor Somu Nirmala, who filed the complaint, said preliminary inquiries with neighbours suggested that the abuse had been continuing for several days.
"The children were allegedly subjected to repeated branding with heated ladles, cigarette burns and verbal abuse," the officer said.
According to police, Ravi had separated from his first wife nearly a decade ago and married Indu, a divorcee, four years ago.
"One of the boys is Indu's son from her previous marriage, while the younger child was born to the couple. During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted that they considered the children an impediment to their personal freedom and vented their frustration on them," the police said.
A case has been registered under Sections 118(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
The children, after receiving treatment, have been shifted to a government-run children's home in Suryapet, while the couple is to be produced before a court for remand.
