(COLOMBO) –
The Sri Lanka Police has launched a manhunt for a man in connection with a brutal assault of a four-year-old boy at a home in the northern part of the country.
The incident took place at Sampathnuwara some 300 kilometres from the commercial capital of Colombo.
The incident that had been secretly filmed by a neighbour and later posted online has now gone viral on social media.
A grab from the film shows the suspect who was having a meal repeatedly beating the child for unexplained reasons.
It was also not clear if the child was his own or otherwise but the film clearly shows two women standing helplessly as the man goes on to attack the minor.
According to police the suspect is also believed to have beaten the child on several earlier occasions but neighbours and other family members failed to report the matter to the authorities owing to fear of reprisals from the man.
Police raided the suspect’s home only to find out that he had already fled the area.
