12-Year-Old Boy Tortured, Branded With Hot Iron After Questioning Mother's Affair

A woman and her boyfriend allegedly tortured her 12-year-old son by branding him with a hot iron pipe after the boy questioned their affair.

The incident took place in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The accused, identified as 35-year-old Santhi Devi and 40-year-old Dhugiyal, were taken into custody Wednesday after a neighbor informed authorities, Times Now News reported.

Investigation revealed that Devi’s husband succumbed to cancer two years ago. She then met Dhugiyal, a demigod, who told her that her house was possessed by spirits. He would visit her home regularly to perform rituals and soon, they fell in love.

Devi’s 12-year-old son noticed a change in his mother’s attitude and asked why Dhugiyal was visiting her regularly. Enraged over the question, the mother started torturing the boy. Both Devi and Dhugiyal allegedly branded him with a hot iron pipe whenever he questioned their relationship.

In the last few months, the boy has fled the home several times and spent the night at neighbors' homes. The neighbors, however, did not report the abuse to authorities as Dhugiyal threatened to curse them if they did.

When the abuse continued, one of the neighbors informed the local authorities and the boy was rescued and sent to a children’s home.

"The boy had burn injuries on his limbs and other parts of his body," a police officer told local daily the Times of India.

A police complaint was filed against the accused and subsequently, they were taken into custody. The charges levied against the two were not known.

Earlier this year, a 5-month-old baby in the western Indian state of Rajasthan died after her mother allegedly branded her with a hot iron to cure her illness. The woman told the police that the infant was unwell for a month and was not eating. She said she branded the baby to ward off evil spirits causing the illness.