Following the death of G. Geethanjali, 32 year-old-mother of two girls, due to alleged social media trolling, the Andhra Pradesh Police has apprehended two suspects in the case. Ms,. Geethankali allegedly ended her life at Tenali railway station recently.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Superintendent of Police Tushar Dudi said, “Using open-source intelligence, cyber teams, and other resources, we compiled a database of accounts that were used to harass her. From this database, we have identified 60 account holders. We have taken two individuals, Rambabu, 46, and Venkat Durga Rao, 31, into custody. We will be presenting them before the magistrate for remand. We will also take legal action against other individuals involved in this case.”
The SP said that Geethanjali was a beneficiary of the Government’s Land Patta scheme, and she gave an interview to a channel with great excitement. However, as the interview went viral, she faced heavy trolling, including sexual remarks and questions about her marriage. The trolls even abused her parents. Unable to bear the harassment, she refrained from leaving her home for a few days and eventually resorted to the extreme step of attempting suicide, he said.
Mr. Dudi advised social media troll victims to consult the police department, Disha police or women helpline. He assured that the police would keep the victims’ details secret and protect their identity. He also suggested that the victims could consult the police by lodging a complaint, use Disha App, Disha police station, helpline numbers including 1930, State women helpline 91548 80389. He said that the victims could also contact the Disha DSP at 86888 31465 in case of emergency. He urged the victims to avoid taking hasty decisions to end life.
