T’puram: A 17-year-old restaurant worker from Charuvila in Varkala has alleged that he was brutally assaulted by police personnel, leaving him with multiple injuries. The teenager also alleged that police threatened him into signing a statement that he had not been assaulted and had no complaint against them.According to the teenager, a police team reached Masa Mandi restaurant near Varkala Ayurveda Hospital on Thursday night while searching for another employee in connection with another assault case. When the police failed to find the employee, they allegedly turned on the teenager, suspecting that he had informed the latter about their arrival.The teenager alleged that a sub-inspector kicked him with his boots while he was at the restaurant and struck him on the neck with an elbow. Another police officer allegedly threw him into a police jeep. He was then taken to an isolated location and assaulted again, he claimed.He said he told the officers that he was only 17 and was allegedly assaulted when he mentioned his health issues to them.The teenager further alleged that he vomited blood after being taken to the police station. The police threatened to implicate him in the assault case if they failed to find the accused, or to implicate his parents instead, he claimed.A woman police officer at the station informed his family about the incident. However, the teenager alleged that the police left him at a nearby juice shop before his parents arrived. His parents later took him to Govt Medical College, Paripally.His family said he had multiple injury marks across his body, with his leg placed in a plaster cast and injuries to his neck.The family has lodged complaints with the Varkala DSP and Childline, seeking action against four police personnel, including the SI. They said they would also approach the chief minister and the state home minister.The teenager, who had discontinued his studies owing to his family’s financial difficulties, joined the restaurant only 20 days ago. He currently lives with his mother in a rented house in Chemmanthoor.“An investigation into the allegations is under way. We will examine the CCTV footage from the restaurant as part of the investigation,” said Varkala DSP P V Ramesh Kumar.