SIT to probe suspicious ‘Black Venom’ Instagram account in Kochi teen’s death

Kochi: The investigation into the death of 16-year-old girl Adithya in Kochi has taken a significant turn as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) begins scrutinising a mysterious Instagram account named “Black Venom”. The Plus-One student from Chottanikkara was found dead in a water-filled quarry on January 27, leaving behind a four-page suicide note claiming she could not bear the grief of losing a “Korean friend” she had met online. The ‘Black Venom’ account is suspected to be belonging to the ‘Korean friend’. 

District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) KS Sudarshan has already constituted a seven-member SIT, led by the Puthencruz DySP and supported by cyber experts.

Central to the new probe is the ‘Black Venom’ Instagram account, which reportedly featured curated Korean content and imagery. 

“The phone has been sent for a cyber-forensic examination. The SIT is trying to determine if the teenager was a victim of a sophisticated digital prank or cyber-grooming. The ‘Black Venom’ account is being checked,” said police sources. 

While Adithya’s family managed to crack her phone password, the police discovered that her Instagram and WhatsApp chat histories had been systematically wiped, making it difficult to verify the existence of the ‘Korean friend’. The school authorities noted a disturbing pattern regarding the ‘Black Venom’ account. The account’s follower count has plummeted since Adithya’s death, dropping from nineteen to just five in a matter of days. This fluctuation has led the SIT to suspect that the account may have been a fake identity managed by someone closer to home who is now attempting to erase their digital footprint.

In Adithya's note was the mention of a gift she had purportedly received from her friend in Korea. However, the inspection of the gift found that it was a local, inexpensive watch valued at approximately ₹250. This discovery has fortified the suspicion that Adithya was being deceived by a local individual posing as a Korean friend to exploit her interest in K-pop and Korean culture.

The case has sparked alarm among Adithya’s teachers regarding the ‘Korean craze’ currently sweeping through schools. School authorities, apparently rattled by her death, are now urging parents to be more vigilant about their children’s online interactions. They warn that digital personas can easily manipulate vulnerable teenagers by tapping into their specific interests and fandoms.

The SIT is now preparing for a comprehensive forensic sweep of the mobile phone to recover deleted metadata, with a primary focus on retrieving the “Black Venom” chats and tracking the IP addresses to identify the location from which the account was operated. 

They are also investigating the timeline of January 19, the date Adithya believed her friend died, to see if a third party was feeding her misinformation. As the forensic results are awaited, Adithya’s parents, Mahesh and Remya, remain hopeful that the SIT will finally provide the answers about their daughter's death.

“The officers said that more details will be available only after the forensic analysis of the phone. We expect to get some answers soon,” said Remya, Adithya’s mother.