Kerala schoolgirl's suicide and mysterious Korean link baffle probe

Kochi: Ten days after a 16-year-old schoolgirl was found dead in an abandoned granite quarry near Chottanikkara, police and school authorities remain puzzled by the circumstances of her suicide and an alleged Korean connection that has sparked widespread concern.

Adithya, daughter of Mahesh and Remya, left home saying she was going to school but ended her life in the water-filled quarry. A two-and-a-half-page suicide note in her school bag claimed she was devastated by the death of a Korean friend she met on Instagram on January 1, learning of his passing around January 19.

The note, written in English and Korean, expressed her anguish over leaving her parents but said she couldn't bear the grief. Similar Korean notes were found in her books, now under translation.

Suspicion swirls around the Instagram account's authenticity—boasting just 12 followers, unlikely for a popular Korean figure. Police haven't examined her mobile phone yet, deepening the mystery and delaying cyber-forensic analysis.

Teachers fear more teens could fall victim to "Korean romance" scams using fake celebrity profiles to manipulate vulnerable students. Adithya was a first-year Lab Technician student at Chottanikkara Government Vocational Higher Secondary School. The probe continues.

(Inputs from IANS)