Police have informed the Kunnamangalam court that Simjitha Musthafa from Vadakara recorded seven videos of Govindapuram native U Deepak during a private bus journey, and that these videos later played a major role in the events leading to his death.
Musthafa was taken into custody on Wednesday, 21st January, on charges of abetment of suicide, as stated in the remand report filed by the police.
According to the report, Deepak died by suicide after facing intense mental pressure following the circulation of the videos on social media. Police said the constant sharing of the visuals caused him deep distress, as he feared people would see him as a sexual offender.
A few days before his death, Musthafa had posted one of the videos online, claiming that Deepak had behaved inappropriately with her during the bus ride.
The police said they examined CCTV footage from the private bus where the videos were recorded. The footage showed Deepak and Musthafa boarding the bus separately and travelling without any unusual incident. The visuals also showed both of them getting down from the bus calmly.
Statements taken from the bus crew revealed that they did not notice any act of sexual misconduct during the journey and that there was no problem when the two passengers alighted.
The remand report pointed out that despite claiming she had a disturbing experience on the bus, Musthafa did not file any complaint with either the Vadakara or Payyannur police stations. Police also said her mobile phone needs to undergo a detailed forensic check, which is expected to help recover her deleted Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Investigators have not yet recorded statements from other passengers who were travelling on the bus, named Al Ameen, at the time of the incident. Police said these statements will be crucial for the ongoing investigation.
The report also noted that Musthafa is well educated, with a postgraduate degree, and had earlier served as a member of the Areekode panchayat. Police said she was fully aware that sharing such videos publicly could cause severe mental harm and could drive a person to take an extreme step.
The video shared online went viral quickly, crossing two million views within two days. After Deepak’s death, his mother, K Kanyaka, filed a complaint with the district police chief, stating that her son died due to mental trauma caused by false claims made against him.
Police said the woman went into hiding when they tried to contact her for questioning and was later arrested from a relative’s house. The probe is continuing.
It is notable here that Simjitha’s videos, which painted Deepak as a sexual offender and eventually led to his suicide, have triggered a strong discussion on social media. All over Kerala, many are sharing memes on how men are supposed to travel inside crowded buses, if any woman can accuse them of inappropriate touch based on accidental brushing of an elbow. In Simjitha’s video, she was initially standing a couple of feet apart from Deepak in the crowded bus, but the later clip showed that she had moved forward and shot the video from a different angle.
