Bhopal: Cops Knock In 10 Min After Woman Posts Fake Suicide Video To Scare Husband; Meta's Real-Time Warning Prompts Swift Police Action

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A 27-year-old woman tried to scare her husband by posting a fake suicide video on Instagram but was left shocked when police reached her home within 10 minutes.

The incident unfolded on Thursday morning after Meta, Facebook’s parent company, flagged the video and alerted Bhopal Cyber Police.

In the video, the woman was seen consuming several pills while holding her two-year-old child, accompanied by a message saying, “Goodbye Betu, you are free now.” Meta’s system flagged the post as a possible suicide attempt and immediately sent an alert to the cyber cell.

Police traced her location quickly and informed the Crime Branch and Chhola Mandir police. A team reached her home within minutes and found her unharmed.

DCP Crime Akhil Patel said that the video was not a real suicide attempt. The woman told police that she wanted to send a message to her husband, who constantly urged her to take prescribed medicines for kidney stones. She recorded herself taking the pills and posted the video to get his attention.

The woman has been counselled and warned against sharing such distressing videos in future. Inspector Saraswati Tiwari said the child was visible in the video and that the woman’s written statement was recorded before formalities were completed.

36-Year-Old Doctor Hangs Himself To Death In Bhopal Hotel; Police Suspect Recent Divorce As Reason

Timely social media alerts

This is not the first time social media warnings helped save lives in Bhopal. In 2024, a youth from Ayodhya Nagar live-streamed a suicide attempt by hanging on Facebook and was saved after friends raised the alarm.

In 2023, a student in TT Nagar posted on Instagram that she was consuming poison due to academic stress, prompting police to intervene.

In 2022, a Kolar woman shared a photo of a poison bottle on WhatsApp after a fight with her husband, and friends informed police, preventing a tragedy.