The child’s mother, 21-year-old Akhila, remained a silent spectator throughout the incident. The incident has raised serious questions about domestic violence and the safety of children in live-in relationships.
Updated: June 2, 2026, 4:22 PM IST
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Chilling Kerala crime: Mother’s lover tortures toddler for 30 days with cigarette burns before killing him; Netizens say, ‘arrest isn’t enough’ (X pic)
A one-and-a-half-year-old boy was brutally murdered in the Nedumangad area, just 20 kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. According to reports, Arshid was physically tortured and beaten to death by his stepfather, Ashkar.
The child’s mother, 21-year-old Akhila, remained a silent spectator throughout the incident. The incident has raised serious questions about domestic violence and the safety of children in live-in relationships.
False claim of suffocation
On the evening of May 29, Arshid was first taken to a private hospital in Panavur, then referred to Sree Avittam Thirunal (SAT) Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Ashkar told hospital staff that the child had choked on food and fainted.
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Following suspicions and protests from relatives, the police launched an investigation. The postmortem report revealed a shocking truth: the child died from internal bleeding caused by the repeated beatings. Fifty-one serious injuries were found across the child’s body, including deep wounds to his private parts and cigarette burns on his feet.
Accused confesses to crime
On the night of May 30, Nedumangad police arrested both Ashkar and Akhila. The court remanded them to judicial custody. On June 1, police took Ashkar to the scene and recreated the scene. The beating stick and lighter were recovered.
During interrogation, Ashkar confessed to the crime and said he had decided to kill Arshid three months earlier. For the past month, he had been physically abusing the child daily. Ashkar considered the child a hindrance to his and Akhila’s lives.
How did he kill Arshid?
On the day of the incident, while Arshid was crying loudly, Ashkar fatally struck him on the head. After ensuring the child’s death, he cleaned the house, removed the evidence, and took him to the hospital on May 29.
Ashkar confessed that he had previously stuffed the child’s mouth with cloth to muffle his screams. He had also thrown the objects he used to beat and burn them into the canal or burned them.
Faked a broken arm
A month before the murder, Arshid had broken both of his arms. When neighbors asked, Ashkar claimed the child fell off his bicycle. Akhila even posted a photo of the injured child on her WhatsApp status.
The child was seen wearing plaster casts during a meeting with a social media influencer on May 16. Police later found the casts abandoned at home.
