Thiruvananthapuram | The recent death of a one-and-a-half-year-old boy at Nedumangad here has been ruled as a murder following the postmortem and forensic examination of the remains, police said on Saturday.

An officer of Nedumangad police station said that the child's mother's male partner is suspected to have beaten up the toddler, leading to its death on Friday at a hospital here.

The officer said that severe internal and external injuries were found on the child's body and they resulted in his death, according to the postmortem report.

Initially, a case of unnatural death was registered, but it will now be changed to murder and the accused man will be booked shortly and arrested, he said.

"Whether the mother has any role in the injuries suffered by the child is being examined," he added.

The officer also said that the child's father had died before he was born.

Initially, the child's mother and her partner told the hospital that the child vomited while having food, police said.

The police launched a probe after the toddler's grandparents raised suspicions that the child's mother and her partner caused the injuries to him, it said.

The child's maternal grandmother told a TV channel that there were several injuries all over the toddler's body.

"He had no injuries when he was taken from my home by my daughter," the grandmother tearfully claimed.

She also said that prior to this, both arms of the child were broken following a fall, according to her daughter and disbelieving the same, she had lodged a complaint with the police.

"Subsequently, on her partner's persuasion, my daughter gave a complaint to a DySP saying I was interfering in their matters," the grandmother claimed.

The paternal and maternal grandfathers said there were circular burn marks all over the toddler's body and it appeared to be made using cigarettes.

"There is no part of the child's body which was not injured," the maternal grandfather said.