It feels quite natural to draw parallels between vlogger Rifa Mehnu who died in Dubai in March and model-turned actress Shahana Sajjad who died a few days ago.
While one belonged to Kozhikode by birth, the other was related by marriage. Other than their shared mode of death, the two were similar in a variety of aspects. They were both young, attractive, ambitious and popular in their respective circles. Both married very young and were allegedly victims of domestic violence.
The preliminary investigations have shown that Rifa's husband Mehnas was jealous of her popularity through her vlogs and resented her fans. As for Shahana, who had modelled for several jewelleries and had recently bagged a lead role in a movie, her husband was a drug peddler without a regular income due to which he tortured her for money.
