India, Jan. 4 -- In a case of alleged child cruelty, the parents of a 12-year-old boy allegedly chained and confined him inside his home in Rameshwari, south Nagpur, for several hours each day over the past two months as a punishment for repeatedly stealing mobile phones, according to the police.

The child, a school dropout, was rescued on Friday following a tip-off to the Maharashtra government's women and child development department and the Nagpur police. He has since been shifted to a government-run children's home, where he is undergoing medical treatment and counselling.

The case came to light after local residents alerted authorities, calling it a serious violation of child rights. Acting on the information, the District Child Pr...