Representative image for an arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Woman vlogger Shimjitha Musthafa was held by the police on Wednesday in connection with the death of a youth in Kerala allegedly after she posted a video accusing him of sexual misconduct in a bus.
Musthafa, 35, was held from one of her relatives' house at Vadakara in Kozhikode where she was hiding. The police had issued a look out circular as she absconded.
Deepak U of Govindapuram in Kozhikode was found hanging in his house on January 18. Musthafa posted videos of Deepak traveling in a bus in which she was also travelling on January 16. She accused him of inappropriately touching her with sexual intention and the video had gone viral.
Deepak's father Choyi and mother Kanyaka said that he was very upset over the incident as he was innocent. Hence he ended life by suicide.
The incident triggered strong protest against Musthafa with even women accusing her of raising baseless allegations for publicity.
The police registered a case against her for abetment of suicide under section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Musthafa was produced before court and remanded to judicial custody. Youth Congress activists staged a demonstration against Musthafa, who is also a former local body member in Malappuram.
Police were trying to extract the full video from her mobile phone. The bus driver and conductor were learnt to have given a statement to the police that they did not notice any issue in the bus. The police were also collecting statements from other passengers in the bus.
Though Musthafa earlier maintained that she had reported to the police about the misconduct she suffered in the bus, the police had denied it.