Mother claims her newborn is 'a devil who breathes fire'

London, Oct 30: In a bizarre claim, a

mother has said that her one-month old son is 'a devil' who breathes fire and has already started walking. Ana Feria Santos, 28, gave birth to her son last month in the town of Lorica, near the Caribbean coast, but says her joy quickly turned to fear when she noticed that he had 'several abnormalities' - leading to fears in her community that he is the 'devil in disguise', the Daily Mail reported.

The mother-of-five claimed that the boy can already stand up and walk - quite a feat for a child of just four weeks. Much like the 1976 horror film 'The Omen', Santos said the baby frequently hides around the house, cackles in an 'adult' way for hours on end and has an 'intimidating' pair of eyes. "He walks like an adult, sometimes going off and hiding underneath the bed, in a suitcase, in the washing machine or in the fridge," Santos was quoted by the paper as telling the RCN Radio station.

Her neighbours in the town also claim he is possessed by a 'malign spirit' and that he is capable of producing fire. This, they say, is because burn marks have been found on his clothes and a sofa where he regularly sits. It has led to vigilante attacks on Santos and her taxi-driver husband Oscar Palencia Lopez's house, which is allegedly being pelted with stones on a nightly-basis by frightened residents, the paper reported.

Doctors do not believe the story and have now launched an investigation into the possibility that the new-born could have been abused. The Colombian Family Welfare Institute, the National Police and the Catholic Church have also all refused to assert the claims that black magic is involved, the paper said.

A team of psychologists, a social worker, a nutritionist and a lawyer will now look into the case, with a source saying: "The child shows signs of abuse". "Two small burns were found on the palm of the left hand and for that reason a restoration measure was adopted to [safeguard] the family environment. The parents received a warning while the facts are being clarified," the source was quoted as saying by the paper.

PTI