Mumbai: Recently, a woman in her twenties and hailing from Sangli district uploaded a video of hanging herself on Instagram. The information was soon passed on to the Mumbai police cyber cell which traced the woman's address within 15 minutes and alerted the local cops, hence saving her life. This isn't a one-off incident as the Mumbai police cyber cell (west region) has saved 105 people since January 2022, who expressed thoughts of taking the extreme step on social media.
Notably, an official said that out of 105 people, 25% are from Mumbai and Maharashtra while the rest are from outside the state.
How cyber cops thwart suicide attempts
Explaining how cyber cops maintain a hawk's eye on suicidal posts on social media and swing into action after spotting such uploads, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) S Swamy said that Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, tips off cyber cops if suicidal content is posted on its platforms. After getting the alert, the police contact that person from the uploader's friend list, whose profile address is nearest to the individual. After getting the uploader's contact number or internet protocol (IP) address, the cops initiate the tracing process. And, all this is done in a span of 15-30 minutes. Once the cyber cell gets the uploader's address, it alerts the nearest police station. In this manner, a person contemplating suicide is saved by the police, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Swamy.
In another disturbing trend, the Mumbai police found that most of the youth in the age group of 20-25 years are driven to commit suicide due to various types of stress predisposed by social media. Such people often drop cryptic suicidal posts. According to the cops, some of the prominent reasons pushing the youth to the brink are job stress and relationship issues. In the case of the aforementioned Sangli girl, the police told that she was taking her life owing to a fight with his boyfriend who spoke to another girl.
Similarly, a 24-year-old man uploaded his photo on Instagram stories while consuming poison pills. After getting an alert from Meta, the cyber cell immediately extracted his contact number from his IP address and managed to reach him. West Region Cyber Cell senior Inspector Suvarna Shinde said that they came to know that the boy lives in the Trombay area. The police reached him within fifteen minutes and counseled him.
Cyber cell has saved lives in other states too
Apart from the city and other parts of the state, Mumbai cyber cell has saved the lives of people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Bengaluru. If someone buys a SIM card from Mumbai then even if the person travels to another state and uploads such distressing content from there, the Mumbai cops get a heads-up.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help here: | Mental Health Helplines | | FPJ
