Cops rescue 5-year-old locked up by dad for over 2 months (Chennai, India)

The dad, identified as PANEERSELVAM, confined his 5-year-old son to a room for over 2 months. The boy was emaciated with signs of physical abuse. No mention of a mother in the household at all. Single father?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Cops-rescue-5-yr-old-locked-up-by-dad-for-over-2-months/articleshow/5140439.cms

Cops rescue 5-yr-old locked up by dad for over 2 months
A Selvaraj & M Ramya, TNN 20 October 2009, 05:36am IST

CHENNAI: A startling case of child abuse came to light on Monday after a five-and-a-half-year-old boy was rescued from his house in Trustpuram, Kodambakkam, where he was confined to a room for more than two months by his father.

Inspector S Vijayakumar found the child hidden behind a slab in the kitchen, occupying the place meant for the LPG cylinder. Child rights activists said the boy had sustained emotional scars, besides other visible marks (that look like pinch marks) all over his frail frame.

The emaciated boy was kept in the house, where his father’s extended family lived. The child had been confined for more than two months by his father, Paneerselvam, a clerk with a high court lawyer. Neighbours said the boy had told them that the injuries on his forehead were caused by blows dealt by his father.

The boy’s plight was known when a neighbour called up Childline (1098) last week. Childline activists visited the house and made inquiries.