Kerala police arrest Shimjitha Mustafa over Kozhikode man’s suicide linked to viral video

The Kerala police on Wednesday arrested social media content creator Shimjitha Mustafa in connection with the suicide of U Deepak, a native of Govindapuram in Kozhikode.

The police arrested her at a relative’s house in Vadakara. After a medical examination at the Koyilandy Taluk Hospital, Shimjitha was produced before the First Class Magistrate Court in Kunnamangalam. The court took her on 14-day remand and sent her to the Manjeri Women’s Jail.

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The arrest follows a multi-day manhunt and the issuance of a police lookout circular intended to prevent her from fleeing the country.

Shimjitha accused Deepak of sexually harassing her during a bus journey in Kerala’s Payyannur, which allegedly led to his suicide. The case originated from an incident on January 16 during the bus journey. Shimjitha filmed a video accusing Deepak of sexual misconduct, which quickly went viral on Instagram and Facebook, garnering over two million views and triggering a wave of online harassment against him.

Overwhelmed by the public shaming and mental trauma, Deepak was found hanging at his home in Govindapuram on the morning of January 18. Only his parents were at home at that time. When he didn’t wake up, and there was no response from inside the room, the parents called the neighbours. Upon breaking open the door, the neighbours found Deepak hanging from a ceiling fan hook.

Following his death, Deepak’s mother Kanyaka filed a complaint alleging that the accusations were entirely false and intended for social media fame. On January 19, the Kozhikode Medical College police registered a case against Shimjitha on charges of abetting Deepak’s suicide.

The Medical College police visited Deepak’s house and recorded his parents’ statement. They told the police that the allegations were false and that Deepak had indicated he was mentally disturbed. The police also recorded the statement of Deepak’s friend.

Meanwhile, the police have collected CCTV footage from the bus where the woman filmed the video. The police have found that the video shared by the woman on social media was edited and shortened. They will seek the help of the cyber cell to retrieve the full version of the video.

In this connection, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission has also intervened, directing the North Zone Deputy Inspector General of Police to submit a comprehensive report on the investigation within one week.