Airport police yesterday registered a case against the father and stepmother of a five-year-old boy on charges of inflicting burns on his hands and legs, and also thrashing him with a stick over four days. The kid’s crime: wetting his bed.

Police arrested the stepmother, Manju Gupta (35), a resident of Ovhal Vasti in Lohegaon, around 9.30 am yesterday. She was produced in Shivajinagar District and Sessions Court in the afternoon, after which she was remanded in magistrate’s custody.

The boy’s father Vijaykumar Gupta – a labourer – is still absconding. A case for punishment for cruelty to juvenile has been registered against the duo under sections 41 and 23 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 1986 and 2000 respectively, and also other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Social activist Sachin Shivaji Khandve (38) from Lohegaon has filed this complaint.

According to the complaint, Tuesday evening Khandve got a call from Deepa Vishal Ovhal, neighbour of Gupta, who told him that the couple were beating their son and he was crying loudly.