The investigation into the death of one-year-old Arshit, who succumbed to injuries allegedly inflicted by his mother’s live-in partner, Ashkar, was handed over to the Nedumangad DySP on Monday after additional charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, were invoked in the case.

The police had arrested both Ashkar and the child’s mother, Akhila, on Saturday night after it was revealed that the child died due to assault. Initially, the duo, who were reportedly living together, claimed that the child, who was lying down at home after having food, fell ill around 4.30 pm on Friday. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead at 6.08 pm. A case of unnatural death was registered based on this. However, the autopsy report later confirmed that the child had died due to assault.

According to the DySP’s office, the order directing the transfer of the case was issued on Wednesday, following the addition of charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

“The exact charges can only be confirmed once we receive the report. Since the order directing the transfer of the case was issued only on Wednesday, we are yet to receive further details,” the DySP’s office told Onmanorama.

“What we know is that charges carrying a sentence of more than 10 years have now been added. If proven guilty, the accused could face a prison term exceeding 10 years,” the official added.

According to the Investigating Officer, Satheesh, the initial probe suggests that the child’s death was caused by assault, allegedly by Ashkar. However, the police are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the exact cause of death.

“The postmortem certificate will be ready soon, and we will take the investigation forward based on its findings,” the officer told Onmanorama.

The police added that the accused had already confessed to the abuse. However, the circumstances that led to the assault and the subsequent death of the infant are still under investigation.