Photo: Collected

Seven-year-old Jewel was screaming for help, repeatedly saying he did not steal the phone.

But the more he cried the crueller the torturers became. The boy, who works at a tea stall, was tied to a tree as three grownups kept beating him up with sticks.

This went on for about 15 minutes in broad daylight on Wednesday at Cheuria village of Kushtia's Kumarkhali upazila.

Two of the alleged torturers Tanjel Ali and Rokeya Khatun were arrested hours after the incident as photos of the abuse taken by onlookers spread in the locality. Another torturer Meru Mia had fled the area, said police.

Abdul Khaleq, officer-In-Charge of Kumarkhali Police Station said Rokeya lost her mobile phone earlier in the day and told her son-in-law Tanjel that Jewel stole it.

Tanjel and his friend Meru picked Jewel up from the tea stall in front Lalon Shah's shrine and tied him to a mango tree near Rokeya's house and tortured him.

Hafejur Rahman, a shopkeeper of the area, told this correspondent that he saw the boy being tortured by the three in horror.

He added that he didn't have the courage to intervene since the torturers were influential people.

Jewel's elder brother Robbel rushed to the scene about 20 minutes after the torturers left him tied to the tree and took him to Kushtia General Hospital, Hafejur added.

Tapos Kumar Sarkar, resident medical officer of the hospital, said although there was no major injury, the boy was in shock.

He added that there were bruises all over his body.

Locals said Jewel and Robbel were breadwinners of their family as their father Serajul Islam left them three years ago.

As photos taken by onlookers spread in the locality, some reporters informed SM Mehedi Hasan, superintendent of police in Kushtia about the matter.

Instructed by the SP, a team of Kumarkhali police arrested two of the suspects about 9:30pm.

Robbel filed a case accusing Tanjel, Meru and Rokeya with Kumarkali police station later that night.

A chief judicial magistrate court in Kushtia sent the two arrestees to jail yesterday.

OC Abdul Khaleq said they were trying to arrest Meru.