PATHANAMTHITTA: In a dramatic turn of events, a POCSO case was registered after an 18-year-old married woman, a former inmate of an orphanage, gave birth eight months after her marriage. The girl was married to the son of the orphanage manager, and the news acclaimed widespread popularity across Kerala. The marriage took place within days of her turning 18.

The decision of the administrator to adopt the girl from the orphanage as her daughter-in-law was widely praised on social media. After the marriage, both mother and son became popular and social media heaped praises on their magnanimity. Soon, YouTube channels came in droves to conduct interviews. In a latest, the family started their own YouTube channel and it is faring well.

However, things started going awry after the family shared the details of the newborn on YouTube and even showed the child’s face. In the meantime, the girl's mother-in-law got married again, and the wedding video was discussed and celebrated on social media in the past few days.

The family had said in interviews that the baby had a heart condition and was born prematurely. This led to suspicion, and people started doubting inconsistencies in the family’s claim. Many netizens pointed out that the child was healthy, reasoning that otherwise the doctors would not have allowed them to take the newborn home.

Not only that, concerns about the safety of other girls in the orphanage also arose on social media. With this, the Child Welfare Committee examined the matter. The newlywed bride confessed to having had intercourse 13 days before her marriage with her husband. According to doctors, the newborn is healthy and is full-grown. This led to doubts that the girl became pregnant even before she reached 18 years. A probe is ongoing.