Boy makes wine from YouTube; friend hospitalised after drinking it

• A 12-year-old boy made grape wine on his own after watching a YouTube video.
• Not only did he make the wine, but he also gave some to a friend.
• His friend later developed uneasiness and vomiting and had to be rushed to hospital.

In Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, a 12-year-old boy got into trouble when he made grape wine on his own after watching a YouTube video.

Not only did the boy make the drink, but he also gave some to a friend. On drinking the wine, his friend later developed uneasiness and vomiting and had to be rushed to a hospital at nearby Chirayinkeezhu. Police said that the boy who drank the wine with a classmate is doing well and was sent home from the hospital later.

A senior police officer told the news agency PTI that the incident happened at a government school in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday and that police opened a case on their own after hearing about it.

Officer told the agency, “During the interrogation, the boy admitted that he had made the drink using grapes bought by his parents. He said that he did not use spirit or any other alcohol as an ingredient. After preparing the wine, he filled it in a bottle and buried it underground as shown in the YouTube video.”

With permission from a local court, the police took wine samples from the bottle the boy brought to school and sent them to a lab for testing.

The officer said, “It is to make it clear whether spirit or any other alcohol was mixed in the drink. If it is found that there is anything like that, we have to register a case under Juvenile Justice Act.”

The police also told the boy’s parents and school about the legal consequences of what he had done.