The autopsy report of Malayali vlogger Rifa Mehnu, whose body was exhumed after her family raised doubts over her death, has come out, on Tuesday, 17 May. The post mortem has suggested that her death was caused by suicide.
The 20-year-old vlogger was found dead in her house in Dubai by her husband Mehnu (Mehnaz) (26), when he came back home in the early hours of 1 March.
According to reports, Thamarassery Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashraf had said that the autopsy report stated that it was a case of suicide. A report in The Hindu states that the chemical analysis of internal organs are yet to arrive. “However, police would proceed with the investigation into the case registered against Mehnaz, Rifa’s husband, under sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498 A (cruelty against woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the DySp had said.
On April 30, Mehnaz was booked after Rifa’s mother filed a complaint against him.
After her complaint, Rifa’s body was exhumed on May 7, from Kakkur Pavandur Juma Masjid where she was buried and a postmortem was done in Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
Rifa Mehnu was a star on social media, with several lakh followers on Instagram. Both she and her husband appeared regularly on Instagram, even on a music album cover. In her last video on Instagram, the couple is seen visiting a restaurant in Dubai and tasting Kozhikode food. That was posted on February 28, barely a day before she died.
Mehnu found her body in the wee hours of March 1 and hinted that it was a case of suicide. But Rifa’s family back home was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her death and reportedly wanted further investigation. According to reports, Rifa had been working in Dubai, and Mehnu, whose visa was about to expire, insisted that she go back to Kerala with him.
(If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs)
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