Police remove six-year-old Beto from his home yesterday.
Mexico City police have rescued a six-year-old boy who was allegedly tortured by his aunt and a 22-year-old man.
After receiving a tip from neighbors yesterday morning, officers found the boy alone in a locked room with his hands tied together at an address in the southern borough of Tlalpan.
According to neighbors, the boy identified only as Beto has been tortured in a variety of ways for the past six months. His incessant screaming yesterday prompted them to alert authorities.
In addition to having his hands tied together and being held behind locked doors, the boy had allegedly been tied up by his neck, burned with cigarettes on various parts of his body and forced to go without meals.
Occasionally, the minor escaped from his home or was allowed outside during which time neighbors noticed that he showed signs of abuse, the newspaper El Universal said.
After forcibly entering the Tlalpan home yesterday and rescuing Beto, police called paramedics to check the boy’s health. Recent wounds and scars were evident on his body.
A 46-year-old woman who said she was the boy’s aunt and a 22-year-old man were arrested outside the property and taken into custody. Neighbors described the boy’s family as “problematic” and that as many as 10 people lived at the home.
The case is similar to that of a four-year-old boy who was found in the Mexico City borough of Gustavo A. Madero in 2017.
The minor, named only as Antony, was suffering from severe malnutrition, head injuries and cigarette burns on his back.
His uncle and aunt were found guilty of abusing the boy and sentenced to 50 years in jail.
Source: El Universal (sp)
