Thiruvananthapuram: As the state is struggling to come to terms with a rise in the number of child abuse cases in the recent past, a 15-year-old girl, who gave birth to a child in a Kollam hospital, has said that a 13-year-old impregnated her. The police took the minor boy into custody.
The boy was granted bail by the Kollam chief judicial magistrate, who is also the chairman of the District Juvenile Justice Board. He was sent home with his parents.
The class IX student was taken to the hospital after she complained of stomach pain. On finding the child pregnant, the doctor asked the her mother to take the child to a better hospital. The girl refused to go to a hospital and gave birth to a child at her house. A case was registered and the girl claimed that a 13-year-old neighbor had impregnated her.
The class VIII boy admitted that he had sex with the girl a couple of times when the police recorded his statement. His DNA samples had been collected to confirm parenthood. the police said they would seek legal advise as it involved minors.