In a shocking incident, a youth branded an eight-year-old boy with burning cigarette butts all over his body over a matter of Rs 10.
The incident occurred in Nekunambad village in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday night, police said on Friday.
According to police, V. Narendra (19) had given Rs 10 to Venkat Rao to fetch him cigarettes from a local shop.
The third standard student, however, used the money to buy some toffees for himself.
Angry over this, the youth caught hold of the boy, took him to his house and tortured him with cigarette butts.
The accused kept the victim in his custody for the whole night and branded him all over his body.
The next day, he left the boy at some distance from the village. A woman who saw the boy enquired about the injuries and alerted the villagers.
The boy, who had burn marks even on his face near the eyes, was first admitted to a nearby government hospital and was later shifted to a hospital in Guntur town.
Police registered a case and were on the lookout for the accused.
