Two face child abuse charges

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TWO ARRESTS: Police have arrested a 35-year-old man and a 30-year- old woman and charged them with abusing relatives of deceased Auckland toddler Sachin Dhani.

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Police investigating the death of Sachin Dhani have arrested two people and charged them with abusing relatives of the Auckland toddler.

A 35-year-old man and a 30-year- old woman will appear in Auckland District Court tomorrow charged with three counts of assaulting a child.

They cannot be named for legal reasons, and police refused to comment on what the relationship is between the accused and the victims. However, the victims are relatives of baby Sachin.

Inquiry head Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Beard said the alleged abuse had been uncovered as part of the investigation into Sachin's death in June. He said he was not prepared to comment on whether there was any connection between Sachin's death and the latest arrests.

Meanwhile, Mr Beard said detectives travelled to Fiji last week to gather "some background information" from people who were in Auckland at the time of Sachin's death. He said a pediatrician's report has confirmed Sachin's death was "no accident".

Sixteen-month-old Sachin died of head injuries suffered while being cared for by a relative in June. He spent three days connected to a life- support machine in Auckland's Starship children's hospital, before dying on June 21.

An autopsy revealed he died from blunt force trauma to his head.

At the time, family members said he had hit his head on the edge of a coffee table while jumping off a sofa.