NEW DELHI: A five-year-old boy died of injuries two days after being beaten up by his mother’s live-in partner for not doing his homework in southwest Delhi’s Samalkha village. The accused and the child’s mother had initially tried to show the death to be an accident. The woman had separated with her husband some time ago.

DCP (southwest) Devender Arya said that a case of murder and criminal conspiracy has been registered against the accused, Narender. He allegedly used to beat up the child often. The mother’s role in the crime is being probed.

The boy was admitted to the hospital with severe injuries to his head and other parts of the body on Thursday evening. His father was reportedly told that the child fell in the washroom while having a bath and got injured, police said.

After the boy died, an autopsy was conducted. The autopsy report mentioned that the nature of injuries didn’t match the reason given by the child’s mother and her partner. The boy’s father then alleged foul play and approached police with a complaint.

Investigating officers said that inquest proceedings were initiated and the child’s father, mother and her partner were questioned separately. The autopsy report was also analysed. It was found that Narender was present in the house with the boy when the incident took place. Narender initially claimed that the boy got injured in the washroom, but on sustained interrogation confessed to having beaten him up mercilessly.

Narender told police that he was helping the boy with his homework and was trying to make him understand a concept. However, he got agitated when the boy had difficulties to understand. He confessed to having beaten up the boy and smashing his head into the wall twice. This made the child lose consciousness and he fell on the ground. Narender then wrapped him in a blanket and took him to a nearby hospital. When the boy’s mother returned home, she was told about the incident. She and her friend took the boy to three hospitals for treatment. In order to save Narender, they cooked up the story that the boy had eaten a contaminated laddoo after which he collapsed in the bathroom and got injured. The mother had given her estranged husband’s address at the hospitals.

The boy’s father told cops that his estranged wife seldom let him meet his son. Narender used to work with a school earlier, but was currently jobless.