Deepak suicide: Police remand report says nothing unusual in bus journey

Kozhikode: The remand report submitted by the police in connection with the arrest of YouTuber Shimjitha states that she recorded around seven videos of the deceased, Deepak U, during the bus journey, and CCTV footage from the private bus involved shows that nothing unusual occurred during the journey.

According to the report filed before the Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFCM) Court, Kunnamangalam, the videos were recorded in an unacceptable manner and the accused was fully aware of the legal requirement to inform the police if she had experienced any harassment or misconduct.

Shimjitha V K (Shimjitha Musthafa), 35, a native of Chorod in Vadakara, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of abetment of suicide in connection with the death of Deepak U. The arrest followed the circulation of multiple videos posted by her on social media, in which she alleged misconduct by Deepak during a bus journey from Payyannur last Friday.

The remand report states that Deepak died by suicide after watching controversial videos which went viral on social media. It further notes that the accused is well educated, holding a postgraduate degree, and is a former ward member of the Areekode Grama Panchayat, and therefore has sufficient awareness of the law.

The report also points out that despite claiming to have had a bad experience during the journey, the accused did not file any complaint regarding the incident at the Vadakara or Payyannur police stations, or at any other authorised legal forum.

Police said they examined CCTV footage from the bus, which showed that both the accused and the deceased boarded the bus, that no unusual incident occurred during the journey, and that both of them got off the bus and walked away normally. Statements from bus staff also indicated that no harassment or attempt to harass the woman took place and that she alighted from the bus without any visible distress, the report says.

According to the preliminary investigation, the accused had clear knowledge that recording and circulating such videos on social media could cause severe consequences. The report states that Deepak, who was allegedly insulted by the videos, suffered extreme mental anguish, fearing that his parents and relatives would view the videos and perceive him as a sexual offender. In a state of shock, he subsequently died by suicide in his bedroom, the report said.

The report says police have initiated steps to recover the accused's Facebook and Instagram accounts, which were allegedly deleted from her phone. An expert examination of the mobile phone will be conducted, and statements will be recorded from additional witnesses, including those present during the incident, it says

Meanwhile, Shimjitha's brother approached the Payyannur police on Thursday with a complaint alleging that she was harassed by a man during her bus journey from Payyannur. Police said a case is yet to be registered on the complaint, which was received via email.