(CNN) Malaysian authorities are investigating the purported marriage of an 11-year-old Thai girl and a 41-year-old Malaysian man, after the case sparked outrage and discussion of Malaysia's laws on polygamy and child marriage.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said Malaysian authorities are looking into whether "sexual grooming" took place before their purported marriage and will offer the girl "medical professionals and counselors to assist her in coping with this situation."

Both child marriage and polygamy can be legal in Malaysia if certain criteria are met, and critics worry those laws provide cover for pedophiles and the exploitation of children.

News of their marriage went viral after the groom's second wife posted images on social media recently. The girl would be his third wife.

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