What began as an Instagram Live from a quiet forested area in Gujarat’s Dahod district ended in tragedy, with a 16-year-old girl and a 22-year-old man dying by suicide while the livestream was being watched by dozens of people.
The incident took place near Hirapur village in Singwad taluka, where the couple had travelled from their respective villages. Police said the two were in a relationship and had gone to the area at around 10 am before starting the Instagram Live.
According to the information provided, 57 people watched the livestream, including friends and family members.
Families alerted police after seeing the livestream
The incident came to light when members of the couple’s families saw the Instagram Live and contacted the police.
Police teams were immediately sent to locate them. However, finding the exact location proved difficult because of poor mobile network connectivity in the forested area. The couple had travelled around 20 km to reach the spot.
Police eventually located the couple and recovered their bodies. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination and were later handed over to their families for the final rites on Monday.
Relationship and possible family opposition under investigation
Police are now looking into what led the couple to take the extreme step. According to police officer the young man had reportedly taken the girl to meet his parents a few days before the incident and had asked for their permission to marry her.
Police said his parents allegedly refused the proposal because the two belonged to the same clan and had the same surname. This has led investigators to examine whether opposition from their families played a role in the incident.
Dahod Superintendent of Police Ravirajsinh Jadeja confirmed that the girl was a minor and the man was an adult, and that the two were in a relationship. He said the investigation was continuing to understand what led to their deaths.
Police said no suicide note was found.
The phones used by the couple have been sent for forensic examination. Investigators are also questioning people in their friends’ circle to understand what happened before the livestream.
57 people watched the livestream
The most disturbing part of the incident is that the couple’s final moments were reportedly watched online by 57 people. Friends and family members were among those who saw the Instagram Live. The stream was also used by police as part of their efforts to understand the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The incident has once again highlighted how social media can turn a deeply personal crisis into something witnessed by dozens of people in real time.
For the families, what appeared on their phones as an Instagram Live quickly turned into an emergency call to the police. But the poor network in the forested area made it difficult for rescuers to reach the couple in time.
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