By IANS,
Ghaziabad : An Indian Air Force official was arrested Wednesday for keeping a 10-year-old child as a domestic help, torturing him and locking him up inside his house here on several occasions, the police said.
Sergeant Rajesh Kumar was arrested after a neighbour lodged a complaint against him with the police, said Circle Officer (Border) S.P. Singh.
Kumar was posted at the Hindon Air Force base and had brought the child – Jitendra – from his native village Kutni in Bihar. He apparently brought the child, an orphan, from the village on the pretext of bringing him up and educating him, the official said.
Since no official accommodation was available at the air force base, Kumar was staying in a rented house. Jitendra was never allowed out of the house and whenever Kumar went out, he would lock up the 10-year-old in the second floor home, Singh said.
In their absence, the child would request the landlord on the ground floor to rescue him, the police officer added.
On Wednesday, when Kumar went shopping he forgot to lock the child. Neighbours were quick to rescue Jitendra and brought him to the Sahibabad police station, where the child recorded his statement.
His hands were swollen and his feet were also badly hurt, the official said.
The child has been sent for medical examination and Kumar was arrested for child abuse, Singh said.