A horrifying portrait of systemic abuse has emerged in Kerala following the death of a one-and-a-half-year-old toddler, Arshid, in Nedumangad. Initially presented by his mother’s live-in partner, Ashkar (31), as an accidental choking incident, a subsequent post-mortem examination has revealed that the child had been subjected to months of sadistic torture, with medical examiners documenting an astonishing 91 distinct injuries across his tiny frame.
The findings, which include seven fractured ribs and deliberate cigarette burns on his feet and genitals, have ignited widespread public outrage and triggered a massive criminal investigation into what authorities are describing as one of the most brutal cases of child cruelty in recent state history.
The one-and-a-half-year-old toddler, identified as Arshid, was eventually beaten to death by his mother’s live-in partner. The investigation into the incident and the post-mortem report have found that the child was subjected to brutal physical assault by the alleged man and succumbed to severe traumatic injuries. According to the doctors, the baby sustained 91 injuries on his body, seven fractured ribs, severe and fatal internal injuries and swelling and bleeding to his skull.
The investigators have revealed that the assaulter stomped on the child’s chest, which caused severe internal damage to the child’s organs.
The post-mortem report has revealed that the burn injuries on the child were inflicted by the child’s stepfather using a cigarette lighter. The police have stated that the injuries suggest persistent torture and physical assault inflicted on the boy.
This video is heartbreaking. 💔
This is Amina, the first wife of Ashkar.
She was subjected to severe abuse and spent nearly a year in a coma. Today, the impact is still visible.
Now another horrific case has emerged around the same man.
How many warning signs were ignored… pic.twitter.com/coP4Nqjrr5
— MAHARATHI (@MahaRathii) June 1, 2026
The Murder Case Explained: How it Happened
According to Nedumangad Deputy Superintendent of Police Baiju Kumar K., the preliminary medical report has revealed that the child’s death was the result of severe blunt-force trauma to the chest and head. Investigators allege that the toddler’s rib fractures were sustained when the accused violently stamped on the child’s chest.
During interrogation, Ashkar reportedly confessed that he had viewed the infant as an “obstacle” to his relationship with the child’s mother, Akhila (24).
Authorities further revealed that the abuse was not an isolated event but a sustained pattern of violence that had been occurring for at least a month, with neighbours previously observing the child with heavy plaster casts on both arms, injuries the couple falsely attributed to accidental falls.
Two weeks before Arshid was killed, his mother met a man, professionally a content creator, at a bus stand. The man had offered gifts to the woman for following his Instagram account. In the images that appeared of the mother-son duo weeks before the crime unfolded, the toddler’s both arms can be seen plastered. In a statement at the time, the mother said that the child had fallen from the bicycle.
Violence and Missed Warning Signs
The investigation has widened significantly as police delve into Ashkar’s dark past. Family members of his first wife, Amina, have come forward with harrowing allegations, claiming that he subjected her to years of extreme domestic violence that left her bedridden and suffering from severe head injuries.
Investigators are also examining suspicious deaths linked to individuals previously associated with the accused, fueling local theories that the toddler’s murder might be part of a much larger, darker narrative. Meanwhile, the mother, Akhila, has been arrested and charged with abetment, with police alleging that she was fully aware of the systematic abuse but failed to intervene or report the violence to authorities.
The revelation of these injuries, which increased from 51 in a preliminary assessment to 91 in the final report, has left the community in shock and fury.
When police brought the accused to their rented home in Panavoor for evidence collection, a large, enraged crowd gathered, breaking through police barricades in an attempt to confront him. Officers were forced to shield the accused amidst the chaos as residents vented their anger over the failure of the child protection system to safeguard the toddler, despite earlier complaints lodged by the child’s maternal grandmother.
Demand for Justice
Kerala state administration has promised a transparent and rigorous trial. Women and Child Welfare Minister Bindu Krishna publicly condemned the incident, describing it as a “heartbreaking” crime against the state and pledging that the government would take strict action against both the perpetrators and any systemic failures that allowed the abuse to continue. Forensic teams have also uncovered evidence suggesting a desperate attempt by the couple to erase the crime scene, including reports of bloodstains washed from floors and remnants of the child’s clothes burned in the backyard.
