Woman dies by suicide after ‘mob trial’ in Kannur, 3 arrested

Kannur (Kerala): A woman in her 40s died by suicide after allegedly being publicly humiliated by a group of men in this north Kerala district, police said on Thursday.

The woman, identified as Rasina, was found dead at her home in Pinarayi village on Tuesday.

According to police, she was deeply disturbed after a group of men confronted her in public and allegedly subjected her male friend to a "mob trial" on Sunday evening.

Following a note recovered from the scene, police arrested three men, alleged to be the members of an organisation, in connection with the case.

The arrested have been identified as V C Mubsheer (28), K A Faisal (34) and V K Rafnas (24) -- all residents of the same area.

Police said the group questioned Rasina and her friend near a mosque, later assaulting the man and detaining him for several hours.

They allegedly took away his mobile phone and tablet and summoned family members before releasing him late at night.

The three arrested men have been remanded in judicial custody. Police said more suspects may be involved and that the investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, the mother of the deceased has come out saying that there was no sign of any morality police being responsible for her suicide, a version implicitly countered by the police at a press meet. The mother also said that the male friend had deceived her of gold ornaments of 40 sovereigns through threats. The mother added that the men arrested were innocent and they had only went to her and freed her from the lover in a scooter with them.

However, the police asserted the involvement of the accused men allegedly members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and their moral policing, have been mentioned in the suicide note recovered by them. The police said they would also enquire about the mother's contentions to understand the background of the suicide.

(With PTI inputs)