An Afghan national has been arrested in Tehran on suspicion of killing his five-year-old son, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Hospital staff at Yas Hospital notified police on Thursday after the child’s death was deemed suspicious. Authorities later determined the boy had died from multiple blows, the report said.
The father initially told police the boy had died following a fight with his nine-year-old brother. However, the older child later alleged that their father had abused them and was responsible for the killing.
Preliminary investigations showed the father had brought the child to the hospital by ambulance. Tasnim quoted him as saying that his wife had left for Afghanistan years earlier and that the incident occurred while the two children were playing.
Police are investigating the case to determine a motive. The report said the father had also given his children tramadol, a strong painkiller.