KOTTAYAM: A 26-year-old woman from Kuruppanthara near Kaduthuruthy ended her life on Monday allegedly due to cyberbullying by her ex-lover. The deceased is V M Athira of Varavukalayil house in Manjoor.
Based on a complaint of the victim’s relatives, the Kaduthuruthy police have registered a case against Arun Vidhyadharan, 34, Athira’s ex-lover and a native of Manjoor, on charges of abetment to suicide. Arun has gone into hiding and the police have launched a search for him. According to her relatives, Athira and Arun studied together and were in a relationship at the time.
“A couple of years ago, Arun approached Athira’s parents with a marriage proposal. But they turned it down after enquiring about him. Around a year ago, the two of them mutually decided to break up as their relationship turned toxic,” said Ashish Das, Athira’s brother-in-law and a Manipur cadre IAS officer.
“There were no issues for the past one year. However, Arun got triggered when Athira registered her name on a matrimonial website and started stalking her. A few days ago, Athira received a marriage proposal through the website. Following this, Arun started uploading Athira’s photos on his Facebook page with offensive remarks. Athira filed a complaint at the Kaduthuruthy police station on Sunday. However, Arun continued uploading provocative posts on the FB page. On Monday morning, she was found hanging inside her room,” Ashish said.
Kaduthuruthy station house officer Sajeev Cheriyan said, “We have registered a case for abetment to suicide. However, we will consider adding further charges in the later stage of the investigation.”Arun is reportedly in Coimbatore and efforts are on to nab him at the earliest. Athira’s funeral was held on the premises of her house on Tuesday.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. In case you feel distressed by the content or know someone in distress, call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7)