Delhi to Mumbai, police scramble to save man's 'suicide on Facebook'

The man had been posting videos on Facebook that apparently showed him preparing to end his life and this raised a red flag

A timely alert by an Ireland-based Facebook staffer to Delhi police saved the life of a 27-year-old man, who was under financial stress because of the coronavirus lockdown and showing “suicidal activity” on the social media platform, officials said Sunday. The man had been posting videos on Facebook that apparently showed him preparing to end his life and this raised a red flag on the social media giant’s network. Facebook feared that any direct contact with the man could drive him to expedite his suicide plans, officials said.

So a company official contacted Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Anyesh Roy as the phone number used for the Facebook account was registered in the national capital. The Facebook staffer shared the details of the “suicidal activity” with Roy on his email just before 8 pm Saturday, and what began then was a race against time to save the man.

The phone number was traced to a woman in east Delhi, the DCP said. Roy reached out to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh and they immediately sent a police team to the address but found the woman completely fine. The case then took a wild turn when the woman told the officials the Facebook account was used by her husband who had left for Mumbai two weeks ago after a fight with her.

Cross-country biker, activist Sana Iqbal dies in car crash in Hyderabad

Sana suffered severe head injuries and was declared dead while undergoing treatment at a nearby private hospital

Cross-country woman bike rider Sana Iqbal, who had taken up the fight against suicide and depression by spreading awareness through her bike rides, died in a car accident on Tuesday in Hyderabad.

Sana suffered severe head injuries and was declared dead while undergoing treatment at a nearby private hospital.

A placard on her bike's rear read: "Solo ride across India by a woman on bullet to raise awareness about suicide and depression. Suicide is not the solution."

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"She had been riding bikes since Class VII. After successfully battling depression, she wanted to encourage others to never give up in life," Sana's mother told ANI.

In November 2015, Sana embarked on a solo bike ride from Goa through the length and breadth of the country on a Royal Enfield. Sana covered 38,000 km by a bike during her solo mission.

She was pursuing a Masters in Psychology and was also counselling people with depression. Sana also delivered talks on depression at various colleges.