The children, aged 8 and 9 were stripped for allegedly stealing a food item from a sweet shop.
Highlights
- The children allegedly stole a packet of 'chakli' from a sweet shop
- The shop owner and his 2 sons were arrested following the incident
- The incident took place in Ulhasnagar town in Maharashtra's Thane
Two children just eight and nine years old faced the most horrible treatment at the hands of three men who accused them of stealing from their shop. The incident took place at Ulhasnagar in Thane.
The boys were paraded naked after being stripped. Their heads were tonsured and they were made to wear a garland of slippers for allegedly stealing food. Then a video of the punishment given to the children, which was recorded on a mobile phone by one of the accused, was also circulated. The video also shows the children being slapped.
The boys whose father is no more according to the police used to live in Ulhasnagar in Thane district with their maternal uncle. Their mother works as a domestic help in a Mumbai suburb and was away at work when the incident took place.
The minor boys allegedly walked to the shop and picked up a local snack called 'chakli' surreptitiously. They were spotted by shopkeeper and he asked his boys to teach the minor duo lesson.
"We have arrested three accused in this case and we are investigating further to see if more sections can be added the case," a police officer at Hill Line Police Station said. Reports suggest that the boys belong to a backward community and therefore the crime could even attract sections of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act).
The three accused have been booked for assault, voluntarily causing hurt and also under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.