Watchful bystanders and the police came to the help of an infant who was spotted with a youth near the Ernakulam Boat Jetty on Saturday morning.
Surprised to see the youth wandering with an infant who appeared to be only a few days old, passersby at the jetty stopped him and alerted the police.
The Pink Police patrol, which is especially deputed to watch for the safety of women and children, escorted the young man and the infant to the Ernakulam Central Police Station, where he was questioned.
The infant, who was around 10 days old, was having trouble breathing and was taken to the General Hospital and the Child Welfare Committee was alerted, the police said.
The young man from Kottayam, who was in his early twenties, initially told the police that the infant was his brother’s child and the infant’s parents were out of town. Sensing something amiss, the police contacted the infant’s parents. When they arrived at the station, the story unravelled – the infant was allegedly the young man’s uncle’s child. The infant’s parents, who were living together at Edappally, were to get married in Kottayam on Sunday. Afraid that a child out of wedlock could raise issues, the parents left the infant with the young man and headed to Kottayam, they said.
The youth was allegedly at the boat jetty to look for a bus to Kottayam, where he was to meet the child’s parents at their friend’s house in the evening, said the police.
No case was registered in the matter and the infant, who was under observation at the hospital, will be discharged and returned to the parents.