12-year-old boy branded with hot iron by mother, her lover for questioning their relationship

Chennai: A 12-year-old boy allegedly suffered frightening torture at the hands of his 35-year-old mother and her 40-year-old lover at a village in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district, reportedly after he questioned their affair. He was allegedly branded with a hot iron pipe by the duo. The cruelty came to the fore after a local resident informed Childline and an administrative official about it, following which the accused were arrested by the police.

The arrestees have been identified as Santhi Devi, a textile shop worker from SN Chavadi, and her lover M Dhugaiyal Ahmed, a self-proclaimed godman from Chidambaram. Two years ago, Devi's husband Harikrishnan, had succumbed to cancer. She came in contact with Ahmed, who made her believe that her house was possessed by evil spirits. Ahmed told her that he would perform some rituals to end her financial problems. Their acquaintance, shortly afterwards, quickly blossomed into a relationship.

According to a report published by The Times of India, Devi's



minor son noticed a change in her attitude. The child asked her why Ahmed often visited her. Enraged over this, Devi and Ahmed started torturing the kid. They branded him with a hot iron pipe whenever he asked them about their relationship, compelling him to flee the house. The horror which the kid of such a tender age experienced is hard to imagine.

Whenever Devi and Ahmed forced the boy out of the house, he spent the night on parked auto-rickshaws and at neighbour's places. The neighbours, however, didn't dare to raise their voice, as Ahmed had threatened to curse them and their family members if they raised objections to the cruelty to the minor boy.

A local resident gathered courage and informed the village  (VAO) administrative officer  and the Childline. Subsequently, the minor was rescued and sent to a children's home. A police complaint was lodged against his mother and her lover. Subsequently, both were arrested and produced before a magistrate who sent them to judicial custody.