Father Brands His 3 Kids With Hot Iron Rod Because They Were 'Unbearably Naughty'

A 40-year-old man has been arrested after he tortured his three children to allegedly discipline them. He branded them with a hot iron rod and cut their legs with a hacksaw, police said.

Selvam, a construction worker in the Indian city of Bengaluru, was charged with attempted murder, police said Wednesday. His wife, who was the stepmother of the children, was also arrested. The siblings, two boys and a girl, were 6, 4 and 3 years old.

The horrendous abuse came to light after a neighbor, who heard the children scream in pain, called the police Monday night, reported Deccan Chronicle.

The children have been rescued and are currently undergoing treatment at a specialized hospital for third-degree burns, police added.

The neighbor went to check on the family after hearing the children's screams. He was shocked to find the 6-year-old child writhing in pain as his father leaned on him, gashing his leg with a hacksaw. The neighbor said there was blood all over the room and the boy had burn marks on his legs and shoulders.

The boy's younger siblings were hiding under a cot at the time. Both the children had multiple cuts and burn marks all over their bodies.

When the man called the police, Selvan and his wife Satya tried to flee.

"He seared them beneath the foot, shoulder, back, buttocks. He did this with even the four-year-old girl child saying that he was doing it to ensure his children won't be able to sit or stand or walk properly as they had become unbearably naughty and adamant," a senior police official told IANS.

Police said the man started abusing the children after their mother died a few months ago. The children reportedly had told neighbors that their stepmother would often complain about them to their father. The man would then fly into a rage and beat up the children.

"Neighbors have been witness to his brutal punishments before. On many occasions, they have pulled the kids out of his grip, unable to see the children's plight. Most often they were not even fed properly," the police official added.