Stepmom Burns 10-Year-Old Disabled Child's Genitals For Pushing Her Toddler Son

A woman in India was arrested for setting her 10-year-old physically challenged stepson's genitals on fire Monday.

The boy was rushed to a hospital and was receiving treatment for the injuries, the police in the western state of Maharashtra told local media. The incident took place in a village near the city of Nashik.

On Monday, the disabled boy was playing with his 1-and-a-half-year-old stepbrother on the bed at their home. Suddenly, the older brother pushed the toddler. Seeing the toddler falling off the bed, his mother got angry and beat up the older boy, The Times of India reported.

The woman then heated up a household steel utensil used to flip flatbreads, and burned the child. Neighbors, who arrived at the home after hearing the boy's cries, informed the father who works at a private firm, The Times of India reported.

The man rushed home and took his son to the city's civil hospital. A surgeon attending to the victim said he had suffered 20% burns in the lower abdomen and genitals. Luckily, the boy is now in stable condition, local media reports said.

The 30-year-old stepmother was arrested after her husband filed a complaint. The woman was charged with sections 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal code and other sections of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act.

The case is being investigated by local police.

According to senior police officer Kalpesh Kumar Chavan, the accused is the maternal aunt of the victim. She married the boy's father four years ago after he divorced the victim's mother.

In March, a court in Brazil heard a stepfather badly beat a 3-year-old girl for wetting her bed. The incident took place in June 2018 which led to the girl's death. Ana da Silva suffered a nosebleed before having a suspected seizure, the court was told at the time. The girl's stepfather, Christopher Coelho, and his wife, 19-year-old Leticia Fonseca, were arrested.