Indian girl, 17, delivers baby on her own at home with help of YouTube videos, police say

Police has arrested a 21-year-old man and booked him under charges of rape

Representative: A photo of a newborn baby at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Sitaram Bhartia hospital in New Delhi on 18 October 2019 (AFP via Getty Images)

A 17-year-old girl in India delivered a baby at her home using YouTube tutorial videos, while her family remained unaware about her pregnancy, said the police.

The girl in the southern Indian state of Kerala delivered the baby on 20 October but her family learnt of the childbirth two days after when they heard the cries of a newborn from her room.

She was immediately taken to the district hospital, MK Shaji, the Station House Officer of Kottakkal police station, told The Independent, adding that the girl and the newborn are safe and recovering. The police have arrested a 21-year-old man from her locality. Since the girl was a minor, the police have booked the man under charges of rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

“The two were in a relationship. One day he came to her house and they had intercourse,” Mr Shaji said. “When she discovered that she was pregnant, she did not disclose the matter to her parents.”

The police said that the family remained unaware as the mother had eyesight issues, while the father was a night watchman in a hospital. The girl also managed to hide her pregnancy by wearing loose clothes, Mr Shaji added.

“She studied everything about [child] delivery from YouTube and at the time of delivery, she cut the umbilical cord by herself with scissors. She learnt about all the facts using her mobile, through YouTube,” Mr Shaji said.

According to the police, both families knew about their relationship and were planning their marriage after she reached the legally permissible age of 18. But the girl withheld the news of her pregnancy fearing that it “might cause trouble” between the two families, said Mr Shaji.