Chennai: 

A 23-year-old woman has been arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police for allegedly torturing her two-year-old child. The incident came to light after several disturbing videos were circulated online, triggering police action and the mother’s arrest.

One of the videos was reportedly filmed in February by the woman – identified as Thulasi – herself; she can be seen hitting her son, Pradeep, on his mouth and continues to do so as he bleeds.

Another shows her hitting the child’s foot as he cries out in pain, and then hitting him with a slipper.

At times, she can also be seen crying.

Yet another video shows horrible scars on the child’s back, indicating he may have been flogged.

Thulasi and the child’s father, both into agriculture, were divorced recently.

After the divorce, she took her two children (Pradeep is the younger one) and shifted to her mother’s home in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district.

A special team of Tamil Nadu police went to Chittoor to arrest her.

Investigators say she tortured the child and filmed the act whenever there was a dispute with her ex-husband. They believe a difficult birth led to the woman feeling angry with the child.

“The second son (Pradeep) was delivered via a caesarean section, and she had some health problems after the birth, leading to a dislike towards him,” Dr N Shreenatha, the Superintendent of Police (Villupuram district) told NDTV.

Police also believe the woman’s plans to re-marry led to disputes with her ex.

“Prima facie, it also appears she was in contact with another person and they were planning on getting married. This caused a marital dispute with the husband, Vadivazhagan, which also motivated her to torture the child,” he said.

Police are on the lookout for the man with whom she was allegedly in a relationship.

A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing hurt, and abduction has been registered. Psychiatrists have certified Thulasi to be mentally sound and free from mental health issues, according to the police. 

This was after a magistrate ordered police to examine her mental health