Mumbai: Turned away by cops after being harassed online, teen kills self

Mumbai: A 14-year-old girl ended her life yesterday after she couldn't bear the online bullying anymore on a social networking website. The minor took the drastic step after she was tormented and stalked by a boy, who posted offensive material on her online account.

According to the Kandivli police, the Std IX student was a resident of Iraniwadi in Kandivli (W). Police said they received a call at 6 pm and when they reached the spot they found the teenager hanging in her bedroom. The girl's mother told the cops that her daughter was studying in her bedroom, while she was seated in the living room. At 6 pm when she called out to her, she did not get any response and then began to knock on the locked door.

She then called her husband who broke open the door and found the girl hanging. "We have sent the body for a post-mortem," said H Pimple, senior police inspector of Kandivli police station.

Police negligence?

The girl's father told the police that a 16-year-old boy had been posting obscene messages on his daughter's social networking account since the past few days. Four days ago, he had approached the local police station with his daughter to lodge a complaint, fearing that the boy would harm her. The father alleges that the police had shown no interest in the matter, and they had to return without filing a complaint. The father believes that the boy may have sent disturbing messages to his daughter yesterday, following which she may have killed herself.

"We have identified the boy and will question him. We are also examining the girl's social networking account to substantiate the claims of the girl's father. We are also probing whether the negligence of police officials led to the father and the girl returning without lodging a complaint. We have registered a case of unnatural death," added Pimple.

Previous case of police apathy

As reported in MiD DAY yesterday, two police officers attached to the Dindoshi police station were suspended on Monday for negligence of duty in connection with the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl earlier this month.

Following a departmental inquiry, it came to light that the duo had shirked their responsibilities when the survivor had first approached the police station to lodge a sexual harassment complaint on November 2.