Kozhikode: Even before police officially confirmed the arrest of social media influencer Shimjitha Musthafa on Wednesday afternoon, she was quietly whisked away from public view. While attention remained focused on protests by men's organisations and court proceedings related to her anticipatory bail plea in the morning, the arrest unfolded like a carefully planned covert operation.

Anticipating widespread protests amid intense public and social media outrage, police avoided any public spectacle. Senior officers remained tight-lipped when approached by the media, even as demands for her immediate arrest grew louder. The cops played along even as reports of her fleeing out of state surfaced.

Shimjitha is facing charges of abetment of suicide in connection with the death of Deepak U, following the circulation of a video posted by her on social media in which she alleged misconduct by him during a bus journey.  The case was registered on Monday night, a day after Deepak was found dead at his residence on Sunday morning. Soon after, police launched a search for Shimjitha, who had been staying in Vadakara, Kozhikode district, for the past six months. The area was kept under discreet police surveillance.

On Wednesday morning, a section of the media reported that Shimjitha had left Vadakara for Mangaluru in neighbouring Karnataka. However, around 10 am, a police team arrived at her residence in Vadakara, only to find that she was not present. The team returned, and it was around noon that Shimjitha was finally taken into custody from a relative's house in a nearby area.

To avoid public attention, she was transported in a private vehicle, wearing purdah and with her face veiled. A woman police officer accompanied her during the journey from Vatakara to Kozhikode.

In a clear departure from usual procedure, police conducted her mandatory medical examination at the Taluk Hospital in Koyilandi, instead of government hospitals in Kozhikode city. Officials also avoided using a police vehicle. She was taken to the hospital in a white i20 car, ensuring that her movement went largely unnoticed.

Initially, police planned to take Shimjitha to the Kozhikode Medical College police station, where the case was registered. However, the plan was changed after large groups of protesters gathered in front of the station. Around 3.30 pm, police decided to take her directly to the Kunnamangalam magistrate court.

To prevent any unrest at the court premises, around 30 police personnel were deployed in advance. Although court hours were officially over, the magistrate arrived around 4.30 pm to consider the case. Despite her counsel’s plea for bail, the court remanded Shimjitha to judicial custody for 14 days.

After the proceedings, police swiftly escorted her to a police jeep parked near the courtroom and took her to the sub-jail. Though a large number of people, including media personnel, had gathered outside the court, the police managed the operation smoothly, bringing the day-long, tightly controlled arrest process to a quiet close.