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13-Year-Old Mumbai Boy, Allegedly Raped By Four Men, Dies Of Multiple Organ Failure

He had swallowed rat poison to commit suicide.
Indian children shouting slogans to create awareness about child sexual abuse in a rally.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Indian children shouting slogans to create awareness about child sexual abuse in a rally.

A 13-year-old boy from Mumbai died of multiple organ failure, following a suicide attempt after being raped by four men. Before succumbing, the boy named a person called Zahid as one of his assaulters, reported The Times of India. Following his death and the revelation that he had been raped, the local police is also investigating the death of his 10-year-old friend and classmate on July 12.

According to an earlier report in Mumbai Mirror, the 13-year-old boy, a Class VIII student, was admitted to Sion hospital in Mumbai in a critical condition on the night of July 12 after he swallowed rat poison. He was later moved to the intensive care unit of the KEM hospital on July 20. The poison led to liver failure. In most such cases, the kidneys get affected next. He had been on life support for a few days. Yesterday, his blood pressure dropped drastically, before he died.

The 10-year-old boy's parents buried him without lodging a police complaint. They also refused a post-mortem and denied that he had been assaulted.

The boy's name was registered at the top of Zonal Transplant Co-ordination Committee (ZTCC) list seeking an emergency organ transplant, but unfortunately, the hospital was unable to find a liver matching his blood type, reported TOI.

His friend, the 10-year-old boy, was taken to the trauma care centre in Jogeshwari Hospital after he showed symptoms of dehydration, but was sent home after some treatment. When his condition did not improve, he was taken back to the hospital, but died before he reached there. His parents buried him the next day without lodging a police complaint. They also refused a post-mortem investigation and denied that he had been assaulted.

In light of the older boy's death, the police has exhumed the body of the younger boy with permission from an executive magistrate to find out the exact cause of death and if he had been raped as well. The exhumed body was sent for post-mortem to JJ Hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday. "The body has decomposed, so it may be challenging to find signs of sexual assault. But we will try our best to gather evidence," TOI quoted a doctor, who carried out the post-mortem, as saying.

The older boy regained consciousness for some time and told his parents that he had been raped by men who had threatened to kill his family if he uttered a word.

The older boy, on July 20, regained consciousness for some time at KEM Hospital and told his parents that he had been raped multiple times since June 6 by the men who had threatened to kill his entire family if he uttered a word. A forensic expert who examined him confirmed sexual assault. "The nature of the injuries on the boy's private parts suggests he was sexually assaulted many times. There is evidence of forced penetration," Mumbai Mirror quoted the forensic expert as saying. The rape lead to severe sepsis.

The expert also said that the child's family said he had been disturbed for some days but they had not known the reason for it.

A case has been registered under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and investigations are currently underway. A police source told TOI that they have recorded statements of more than a dozen kids from the locality and have received several descriptions of the accused.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 14,913 cases were registered under POCSO in 2015, a steep rise from 8,904 cases in 2014.

The numbers paint a bleak picture. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 14,913 cases were registered under POCSO in 2015, a steep rise from 8,904 cases in 2014. Despite the high number of cases registered, 2015 saw only 1,072 convictions. To make matters worse, even this number might be misleading, since a startling number of sexual atrocities against children are registered under Section 377 — the Indian Penal Code provision that outlaws unnatural sex — instead of the POCSO Act. According to a report by The Indian Express, 60 percent of the victims in cases registered under Section 377 are children.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.