17-year-old TikTok star kills self in east Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 17-year-old girl, who had a huge fan following on social media, allegedly killed herself in her east Delhi home on Wednesday night. Police are yet to reach a conclusion as to why she might have resorted to this extreme step.
The body of the teenager, who had 11 lakh followers on video-sharing app TikTok and over 1.27 lakh on Instagram, was found hanging in her bedroom on the first floor of the two-storey house in Geeta Colony.
Police got a call about the incident at 9.16pm on Wednesday from a family member. She was rushed to a hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.
No suicide note was recovered till Thursday evening. An investigation is being conducted and inquest proceedings under Section 174 CrPC have been initiated as per the protocol in unnatural death cases. An autopsy was conducted and police are awaiting its results to conclude on the cause of death, time and other details.
Over the weekend, her phone, laptop and other devices would be scanned for clues. The family members would be interviewed once they get over the immediate shock, said a senior police officer. The statements of her professional associates, including her manager, would also be recorded.
Her friends, relatives and neighbours told police that she lived in a joint family, including her parents, siblings, uncle and other relatives. The cops were also told that she was the breadwinner of the family earning from modelling, acting and TikTok gigs. Her father used to run a business earlier.
The girl’s bank statements would also be examined as part of the inquest, which will require the area magistrate to submit an inquiry report.
The teen started her TikTok account in 2017 and earned 10 lakh followers this April. She had posted 709 videos on the platform. On Wednesday, she posted three videos dressed in a black and white salwar. In the videos, which appear to be shot on a terrace, she is seen narrating a dialogue on love. In the other two, she is seen dancing to Punjabi songs. Her last video had over 15 lakh views.
Her videos portrayed the image of the girl next door, with her sharing snippets of her life with family members and friends. On Father’s Day, she posted a video with her father and wrote, “I love you my strength. #Dad.”
On Instagram, her last video was posted six days ago where she was seen dancing to a Punjabi song. She had 113 posts on the photo-sharing platform.