Video: Couple abandons baby and father kisses her before leaving
Kerala, India: A couple was arrested in Kerala for abandoning their five-day old baby allegedly out of fear that they would be shamed socially for having a fourth child. The man and his wife were caught on CCTV outside a church in Kochi, said the police.
Bitto (32) and his wife Prabitha (28), from Thrissur, were seen in the footage abandoning the baby at St George Forane Church in Edappally on Saturday evening, the police said, reports NDTV.
The police tracked down the couple, who have four children including the abandoned infant from Wadakkancherry area in Thrissur.
The woman allegedly joined her husband in abandoning the baby before being discharged from the Government Medical College Hospital in Thrissur, where the baby was born.
Police sources say, during the preliminary probe, Bitto told the investigators, that the locals allegedly ridiculed them for Prabitha was often pregnant. A detailed investigation will be now be done to reach a conclusion, said the police.
The two have been charged for abandoning a child under 12 years and for cruelty under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The security staff of the church found the baby at around 8.30 pm on Saturday and immediately alerted the police.
In the footage the father is seen kissing the baby on its forehead before placing it on the church floor. The baby was admitted to a private hospital. Sources say the infant was doing well.