Zee News: "They are facing child abuse case and are charged with gross or repeated maltreatment of their child/children by threats, violence or other wrong, under section 219," Kurt Lir, Head of Prosecution, Oslo Police Department, said.

He said, "there were burn marks and scars on the body of the child, who has also been beaten by the belt."

Asked why the police arrested the couple - Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni, a software professional from Andhra Pradesh, and his wife Anupama- before the sentencing, Lir said, it is feared that they will evade prosecution by returning to India.

"Under three circumstances i.e if we are concerned about (tampering) of the evidence or we fear they may leave the country or they might do it again, we make arrests before the sentencing," he said. On whether the police department came across such cases often, he said, "yes, it is quite often. And not only foreigners but Norwegians are also involved in such cases."

He also said prosecution has proposed a sentence of 15 months for the mother and 18 months for the father in the case. Anupama's lawyer Marte Brotrome said it was wrong to keep the Indian couple in prison in Norway. "If the court sentences them, we will appeal against it," she has said.