Kozhikode
The body of vlogger Rifa Mehnu, who was found dead in her apartment in Dubai on March 1, is likely to be exhumed soon for post-mortem following the request of her parents who alleged that it was a murder. Thamarassery Deputy Police Superintendent of Police T.K. Ashraf, who is investigating the case now, has secured permission from the Revenue Divisional Officer to proceed with the process.
According to her family members, no post-mortem examination was conducted in Dubai to ascertain the cause of death other than a few forensic investigations. They sought a post-mortem in the wake of allegations that Rifa was a victim of domestic violence.
Her husband, Mehnas, a native of Kasaragod district, had been booked under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) following an investigation carried out by the Kakkur police on the basis of the petition submitted by the victim’s family. Rifa’s parents had also approached the State government with a call to investigate the case and bring to light the truth.
Police officers, who conducted a preliminary investigation into the incident had confirmed that the 21-year old was a victim of her husband’s alleged mental torture over her social media popularity. According to them, the man was reportedly upset over her social media popularity and the increasing number of subscribers for her Youtube channel.
The family members came up with their strong demand for a post-mortem on the basis of some of the conversations in which Rifa had earlier revealed her harrowing experiences. Treating this as the main proof, they had also approached the District Police Chief (Kozhikode rural) to proceed with an investigation after securing permission from the higher authorities as the death occurred in a foreign country.
