Mumbai: An FIR has been lodged against a Malad-based woman and her live-in partner for cruelty and brutal assault of their three minor children aged eight, two and one. The FIR was registered on May 31 on the basis of a complaint made by the woman’s mother. The three children were rescued by the Malwani police and handed over to a child welfare NGO. The accused, Sheela and Sanjay (names changed to protect the identities of their children), started living together since June 2020 after Sheela’s husband passed away. Sheela’s son from her first marriage (now eight years old) lived with Sheela’s mother at Malad. But in Aug 2020, Sheela took him away to live with her and her partner at Versova. Later, Sheela had two children with her partner— a girl who is now two and a boy who is one. Sheela’s mother has said in her complaint that she wasn’t sure if her daughter had tied the knot with Sanjay or not. On one occasion, Sheela’s mother and sister decided to visit her at Versova. To their alarm, one of their neighbours told them that the three minor children were brutally assaulted and tortured by their parents. The neighbour showed them a video of Sanjay torturing the oldest boy. Sheela’s mother couldn’t take it anymore and asked Sheela to move back to Malad near her place with all the children. In Sept 2024, Sheela and Sanjay moved to Malad with the three children, and took a place close to her mother’s residence. However, things did not get any better. Sheela’s mother would visit them often and soon learnt that Sanjay was hooked on drugs. She found out that whenever Sanjay tortured the oldest child, Sheela would torture the two youngest children as a payback. The children were kicked and suffered blows. Sheela’s mother said in her complaint that she realised the children’s lives were in grave danger. She eventually approached the Malwani police station to lodge a complaint against her daughter and the latter’s live-in partner. “We have applied provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Juvenile Justice Act against the couple. A notice has been served to Sanjay,” said a police official. Mumbai: An FIR has been lodged against a Malad-based woman and her live-in partner for cruelty and brutal assault of their three minor children aged eight, two and one. The FIR was registered on May 31 on the basis of a complaint made by the woman’s mother. The three children were rescued by the Malwani police and handed over to a child welfare NGO. The accused, Sheela and Sanjay (names changed to protect the identities of their children), started living together since June 2020 after Sheela’s husband passed away. Sheela’s son from her first marriage (now eight years old) lived with Sheela’s mother at Malad. But in Aug 2020, Sheela took him away to live with her and her partner at Versova. Later, Sheela had two children with her partner— a girl who is now two and a boy who is one. Sheela’s mother has said in her complaint that she wasn’t sure if her daughter had tied the knot with Sanjay or not. On one occasion, Sheela’s mother and sister decided to visit her at Versova. To their alarm, one of their neighbours told them that the three minor children were brutally assaulted and tortured by their parents. The neighbour showed them a video of Sanjay torturing the oldest boy. Sheela’s mother couldn’t take it anymore and asked Sheela to move back to Malad near her place with all the children. In Sept 2024, Sheela and Sanjay moved to Malad with the three children, and took a place close to her mother’s residence. However, things did not get any better. Sheela’s mother would visit them often and soon learnt that Sanjay was hooked on drugs. She found out that whenever Sanjay tortured the oldest child, Sheela would torture the two youngest children as a payback. The children were kicked and suffered blows. Sheela’s mother said in her complaint that she realised the children’s lives were in grave danger. She eventually approached the Malwani police station to lodge a complaint against her daughter and the latter’s live-in partner. “We have applied provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Juvenile Justice Act against the couple. A notice has been served to Sanjay,” said a police official.