Kochi, June 3: A Kerala couple were caught on CCTV abandoning their two-day-old child outside the St George Forane Church in Edappally on Friday evening. The church authorities, after finding the child at their doorstep, alerted the police. Within 12 hours, the couple were tracked down in Wadakkanchery and arrested.

During the course of investigation, the couple - 32-year-old husband Bitto and his 28-year-old wife Pratibha - said they wanted to get rid of their child due to "social pressure". Since the new-born was their fourth child, the couple were subjected to constant laughter and taunts in their locality.

Unable to bear the humiliation, they decided to abandon the infant within two days of the baby getting delivered at Government Hospital of Thrissur.

In the CCTV footage shared below, Bitto is seen leaving the baby outside the St George Forane Church in Edappally. The father kisses his child before leaving from the spot. Watch the video here:

While preliminary probe has pointed towards social stigma around the fourth child being the reason behind abandoning the infant, the police said it is also probing other angles.

The parents of the child have been charged under IPC Section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12 years, by parent or person having care of it) and Juvenile Justice Act, Section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child).

The toddler is currently admitted to a private hospital, where he is being taken care of by the nurses. The police is also monitoring his condition. The hospital sources, while speaking to reporters, said the baby is healthy and out of any kind of danger.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 03, 2018 02:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).