A 17-year-old girl in Kerala’s Malappuram district is reported to have given birth to a baby boy at home secretly, by following tips from YouTube videos. The incident took place in Kottakkal a few days ago. The minor girl did not inform her mother, who is partially visually impaired, about her pregnancy or about the child birth. Police said that the mother came to know about the child's birth, a day after the delivery on October 20. The girl cut the umbilical cord and disposed of the placenta by following tips from YouTube videos, according to the police.
The incident came to light when the girl reached a medical college hospital in Manjeri on October 23 after she developed a postpartum infection. Police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against a 21-year-old man from Kottakkal. Police said that the girl did not give a statement against the accused as they were in a relationship. The accused is a neighbour and both the families knew about their relationship, police said.
The families were planning to get them married after the girl turned 18. However, the accused has now rape charges against him. They said that the girl remained mostly inside her room after she got pregnant, claiming she was attending online classes.
There are also reports that her mother took her twice to a private hospital in the last few months as she had stomach ache, but doctors there didn't realise that she was pregnant. The girl and the child are currently under treatment and the baby is healthy.
A month ago in September, another minor girl had delivered a premature baby in the washroom of a private hospital in Kochi and flushed down the foetus without letting anyone know about her delivery. Police had registered a POCSO case against a 20-year-old man who had impregnated her at the time.