The parents of a four-year-old girl in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district have been arrested for allegedly illegally adopting the child and also for allegedly subjecting her to immense physical abuse while under their care. The incident came to light after their house owner noticed injury marks and burns on the child's body. On hearing the child's complaints, he immediately informed the police.
According to The Hindu, the police have also arrested a man who brokered the illegal adoptions on Saturday. They found that while the four-year-old was adopted by this family without any documentation, her elder sister was illegally adopted by another family.
When the police arrived at the child's house after being informed by the house owner, they reportedly found that she was being beaten and branded by her foster parents. They were allegedly pouring hot water on her to cause pain. When neighbours had initially enquired about the marks, the accused couple reportedly claimed that they were signs of abuse from the child's biological parents and that they had saved her from them.
The district child protection unit then stepped in and conducted an inquiry into the child's condition. The child narrated its ordeal and in addition to this it became clear that the foster and biological parents did not follow any rules of adoption. The police are also currently on the look out for the children’s biological parents to further the investigation.
As per a report in The Hindu, the foster parents have been booked under Section 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) of the Indian Penal Code as well as Sections 75 (cruelty to child) and 80 (adoption without following prescribed procedures) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
The children, meanwhile, have been shifted to a childcare institution.