KOCHI: Mystery surrounds the incident in which a two-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly beaten by her stepfather. Antony Tijin, who lived along with the family has gone missing. He escaped soon after the infant was admitted to the hospital. He was accompanied by the infant’s mother's sister and son. The visuals of them escaping in a car has surfaced.

Antony is not the brother-in-law of the infant’s mother, informed the police. He had rented a flat in Kakkanad, a month ago. The flat was rented under the pretext that he was a cyber-police officer and had resigned now.

Antony had told the flat owner that his mother, wife, son and wife’s sister were with him. The family had no connection with the neighbours. The women never went out. Only the sister’s son used to play along with other children. The boy had told his friends that they had come to Kakkanad from America.

The two-and-a-half-year-old girl was brought to the hospital by Sunday evening. Many suspicious events had taken place. At 8:30 pm, the mother and grandmother left the flat along with the infant. The CCTV footage of Antony and the sister’s son, waiting in a car, had come out.

They came back to the flat after some time. By early morning, both of them were seen going out, along with the wife’s sister, carrying a bag. The infant’s mother and sister had been living separately from their husbands for some time. Antony is a Bengali, said the police.

The police have registered a case against the mother under the Juvenile Justice Act, for not providing sufficient treatment to the infant. Hints suggest that more sections will be added and an arrest will be made on Tuesday. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) will visit the infant on Tuesday.