The Tik Tok app has drawn flak after several incidents of death, morphed pictures of girls and even flesh trade were reported. However, it somehow became a boon for a woman from Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu who found her estranged husband on the app. Reportedly, he had disappeared three years ago.
Suresh, a resident of Krishnagiri was married to Jayapradha and the couple had two children. In 2016, Suresh abandoned his family and did not return. Jayapradha had then lodged a missing person’s complaint with the police. The police had registered an FIR but there were no further developments into the case.
However, a few days back, one of Jayapradha’s relatives came across a video clip on Tik Tok of a man he thought resembled Suresh. The video showed him riding on a motorcycle with a transwoman who was his friend. The relative showed the video to Jayapradha who confirmed the man in the clip was indeed her husband.
Jayapradha went back to the police, who then tracked down Suresh in Hosur with the help of an NGO that works for the welfare of transgenders.
Upon his return, Suresh told the police that he had left home because he was unhappy with certain developments in his family and had moved to Hosur where he was working as a mechanic in a tractor company. He then conveyed his willingness to reunite with his family.
Last month, a 24-year old woman committed suicide by consuming toxin after her husband scolded her for spending too much time on Tik Tok. The woman named Anitha killed herself at her residence in Perambalur, Tamil Nadu and video recorded the whole act. She also recorded a statement before committing suicide asking her husband to take care of their kids.
Tik Tok is a very popular smartphone app, which allows users to create and share short video clips. The app has been instrumental in creating several viral trends and internet celebrities. In April this year, the Madras High Court had banned the app in India suggesting it was dangerous to children and was encouraging pornography. Following the verdict, the app was taken down from app stores of mobile platforms and it was not available for download. While the already downloaded installations continued to work, the ban was lifted later that month by the court.
