Cops in Brazil have rescued an 11-year-old boy who was kept chained up in a metal barrel by his own dad and his family.

Officers entered the property in the Brazilian municipality of Campinas where they found the boy chained up inside the barrel and rescued him on 30th January.

They subsequently arrested the boy’s father, 31, the father’s girlfriend, 39, and the girlfriend’s daughter, 22, on suspicion of torture.

According to officers, the boy was forced to stand in the barrel at all times and was even obliged to urinate and defecate in it.

The police became aware of the case after receiving a tip-off from neighbours who noticed the boy had stopped attending school and playing with other children in the neighbourhood.

Officers reported finding him naked, debilitated and with signs of malnutrition. They also said his legs were swollen as he was unable to sit or squat.

They used a wire cutter to remove his chains and he was taken to hospital where he remained until the following day. The authorities have since placed him in the care of a paternal aunt.

During the boy’s rescue, he is said to have told officers: “I just wanted something to eat.”

The boy’s father, who works as a cleaner, allegedly claimed his son was “agitated at home” and chained him up in the barrel to teach him a lesson, according to the police report.

They also accused the man’s girlfriend, who works as a maid, and her daughter, who works as a sales assistant, of allowing the boy’s torture to take place.

According to local media, if found guilty, the boy’s father could face between two and eight years in prison, whereas his accomplices could face one to four years in prison each.

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