UP Shocker: 4-Year-Old Smothered, Found With 18 Injuries, Father, Stepmother Held

Police arrested a 4-year-old boy’s father and stepmother in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow after child's post-mortem report exposed brutal physical assault. The arrests were made on Saturday, a day after a murder case was registered in connection with the child’s death. According to the autopsy, the boy had 18 serious injuries on his body, including fractures, indicating abuse.

Police suspect the child may have been severely beaten and eventually smothered to death, based on the nature of the injuries documented during the examination.

The FIR was filed on the complaint of the boy’s maternal grandmother, who accused the child’s father and his second wife of murdering him. The victim’s mother, the accused man's first wife, had died due to illness in 2022.

Police said the arrests were made soon after the post-mortem report confirmed the extent of the injuries.

According to the grandmother, the boy had been regularly beaten for nearly six months after his father obtained custody through a court order in August 2025. She further alleged that the couple forced the child to wear full-sleeve shirts and a cap even during peak summer in an attempt to hide the injury marks.

Following his mother’s death, the child had been living with his maternal relatives in Unnao. However, his father later remarried and secured custody through court proceedings before bringing the boy to Lucknow.

After taking him home, the father allegedly cut off most contact between the child and his maternal relatives, allowing only occasional brief phone calls.

Family members who rushed to the house after being informed about the child’s death on Thursday claimed they saw multiple bruises and burn-like marks across his body, particularly on his back and legs.

After the autopsy, the child’s body was handed over to his maternal relatives for the last rites.

“Following the autopsy, the body was handed over to the child's maternal family who performed the last rites,” said Chowk police station in-charge Nagesh Upadhyay.