Nedumangad child murder case: mob attacks alleged during evidence collection

The Nedumangad police are bringing Ashkar to his house at Karikkuzhy in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday to collect evidence. | Photo credit: ANI

Intense public fury erupted in Panavoor near Nedumangad on Sunday when the police brought Ashkar, the main accused in the death of his partner Akhila’s one-and-a-half-year-old son Arshid, to the crime scene to collect evidence.

Enraged locals breached the heavy police cordon and physically assaulted the accused while the law enforcers tried to escort him through the crowd.

Ashkar was taken to the couple’s rented house in Karikkuzhy a day after the 31-year-old was arrested in connection with the toddler’s death. An autopsy revealed that the child was subjected to brutal torture leading to his death on Friday.

Autopsy findings

An autopsy revealed 51 injuries all over the body, including fresh wounds and partially healed scars. Doctors confirmed that the definitive cause of death was physical trauma. The report also found that the bout of vomiting and coughing that Ashkar initially claimed preceded Friday’s death was actually the direct result of a brutal physical assault that occurred shortly after the child ate the food. Suspected deep burns were also observed on the flats of the toddler’s feet.

While the couple allegedly lied to neighbors that the child’s arms were broken in an accidental fall, forensic evidence proved that the fractures were caused by violently stomping on the child.

Ashkar initially took the unresponsive child to a nearby private hospital, claiming that the boy fell ill while Akhila was away in Tamil Nadu for a dance program. The child was later declared dead on arrival shortly after being taken to SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

The child’s biological father, S. Akhil, died by suicide when Akhila was three months pregnant. Shortly after, Akhila moved in with Ashkar and moved into a rented house. Attempts by Akhil’s family to get custody of the child were futile.

While gathering evidence, investigators uncovered a suspected conspiracy to destroy forensic evidence after the crime. The family reportedly washed the interiors of the house to remove the blood stains. Officers also discovered remnants of the toddler’s clothing and various documents that had been burned to ashes in the backyard. Discarded plaster casts that could have been used on the child’s broken arm were also found near the house.

Before the police exercise, unknown people vandalized Ashkar’s car, which was parked in the area, police said.

Official sources added that Ashkar was accused of subjecting his first wife Amina to extreme domestic violence after their marriage in 2022. The victim was allegedly tortured for dowry and the attack left her in a coma for almost a year at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital.

Published – 31 May 2026 20:15 IST