Nine-year-old Jeetu Mishra, who was found fatally injured at his brother-in-law's house at Kadma on Wednesday, had been badly tortured before death.

The media and Jeetu’s relatives saw the body, which was taken out of the Tata Main Hospital morgue for an autopsy at the MGM Medical College, on Friday morning.

The nails of his right foot were pulled out, the skin of his buttocks peeled and one of his testicles ruptured, among the many injuries.

Police have taken Nishant Mishra, Jeetu’s alleged assailant and brother-in-law, in custody, after the boy’s father Santosh Mishra lodged an FIR against Nishant, his mother Mamta Mishra and Nishant’s wife Kajo on Thursday night. Kajo is also Jeetu’s elder sister and Santosh’s daughter.

Kadma OC Ranjit Kumar said: “Once our probe and autopsy report confirm assault as the cause of death, we will arrest Nishant. We will also arrest Mamta and Kajo once murder is established.”

In the FIR, Santosh, a farmer in Saharsa in Bihar, stated Jeetu came to Jamshedpur with his sister Kajo to celebrate Holi in the steel city, but could not return due to the lockdown. As Jeetu’s stay got more prolonged, his brother-in-law Nishant, Nishant’s mother Mamta and Nishant’s wife (also Jeetu’s sister) Kajo murdered him, the FIR says.

The farmer said that he was told Jeetu had damaged his son-in-law’s TV set and refrigerator. “My son-in-law demanded Rs 70,000 as damages. Despite my poor financial condition, I had promised him compensation. But my son-in-law murdered my son,” stated Mishra.

Jeetu was his only son among his four children, Santosh added.