Nedumangad child murder case: crowd attacks accused during evidence collection

Intense nationalist fury unfolded successful Panavoor, adjacent Nedumangad, connected Sunday erstwhile the constabulary brought Ashkar, the premier accused successful the decease of his spouse Akhila’s one-and-a-half-year-old lad Arshid, to the country of transgression for grounds collection.

Enraged section residents breached a dense constabulary cordon and physically assaulted the accused, arsenic the instrumentality enforcers struggled to escort him done the crowd.

Ashkar was taken to the couple’s rented location successful Karikkuzhy, a time aft the 31-year-old antheral was arrested successful transportation with the toddler’s death. Post-mortem introspection revealed that the kid had been subjected to brutal torture starring to his decease connected Friday.

Autopsy findings

The autopsy revealed 51 injuries crossed the body, including caller wounds and partially healed scars. The doctors confirmed that the carnal trauma was the definitive origin of death. The study besides established that the vomiting and coughing acceptable Ashkar initially claimed to person preceded the decease of Friday was really a nonstop effect of a vicious carnal battle that had been inflicted soon aft the kid consumed food. Suspected heavy burns were besides observed connected the soles of the toddler’s feet.

While the mates had allegedly lied to neighbours that the child’s arms were breached from an accidental fall, forensic grounds proved the fractures resulted from the kid being violently stomped on.

Ashkar had initially taken the unresponsive kid to a backstage infirmary nearby, and claimed the lad fell sick portion Akhila was distant successful Tamil Nadu for a creation programme. The kid was aboriginal declared dormant connected accomplishment soon aft being transferred to the SAT Hospital successful Thiruvananthapuram.

The child’s biologic father, S. Akhil, had died by termination erstwhile Akhila was 3 months pregnant. Shortly after, Akhila moved successful with Ashkar and relocated successful the rented house. Attempts made by Akhil’s household to summation custody of the kid had gone futile.

While gathering evidence, the investigators uncovered a suspected crippled to destruct forensic grounds aft the crime. The household purportedly washed the interiors of the location to erase bloodstains. Officers besides discovered the remnants of the toddler’s apparel and assorted documents that were burnt to ashes successful the backyard. Discarded plaster casts, which could person been utilized for the child’s breached arms, were besides recovered adjacent the house.

Prior to the constabulary exercise, unidentified radical vandalised Ashkar’s car that was parked successful the area, the constabulary stated.

Official sources added that Ashkar has been accused of subjecting his archetypal wife, Amina, to utmost home maltreatment aft their matrimony successful 2022. The unfortunate had been allegedly tortured for dowry, and the battle near her successful a coma for astir a twelvemonth astatine the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital.