Published Feb 11, 2026 | 12:46 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 11, 2026 | 12:46 PM
The schoolgirl was found dead in a quarry pond on 27 January. (Representational pic/Reshi Irshad)
Synopsis: The investigation is now focused on the Instagram profile linked to the alleged Korean friend. While the suicide note claimed that this person had died in an accident on 19 January, the teen’s teachers and family members have expressed doubts over the claim.
Kerala Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death of a 16-year-old plus-one student, who was found dead in a water-filled quarry at Chottanikkara in Kochi on 27 January.
The team was formed following mounting pressure from the deceased girl’s family and public criticism over alleged lapses in the initial investigation.
The girl had left behind a suicide note stating that she was distressed over the death of a Korean friend she had met on Instagram. However, investigators were now examining whether the Korean national mentioned was real or part of a digital deception.
Chottanikkara police Circle Inspector Tony J Mattam told South First that preliminary checks showed that the girl’s phone search history was largely focused on Korean dramas and series.
“But we are yet to establish whether the Korean friend mentioned in the suicide note actually existed. We are also probing whether the girl had any other Instagram accounts, as her known profile had fewer than 20 followers,” he said.
Ernakulam rural district police chief KS Sudarshan formed the seven-member SIT, headed by the Puthencruz Deputy Superintendent of Police. The team comprise cyber experts, who will conduct a detailed forensic analysis of the girl’s mobile phone to trace deleted data and verify the identity behind the social media profile.
The girl’s parents have raised serious concerns about the earlier probe. They alleged that police initially cited technical difficulties in unlocking the phone and that they were forced to access it themselves.
Even after the phone was unlocked, they were informed that key data and Instagram chats had already been deleted.
It led the family to suspect that someone else might have accessed her account either before or after the girl’s death.
The investigation would now focus on the Instagram profile linked to the alleged Korean friend. While the suicide note claimed that the ‘friend’ had died in an accident on 19 January, the teen’s teachers and family members have expressed doubts over the claim.
The SIT would recover erased chats, study metadata, and analyse login records to determine whether any third party had accessed or manipulated the account. Investigators would also examine whether the girl had been misled through a prank or a catfishing (creation of a fictitious online persona) attempt that led to her death.
Police said the objective of the renewed probe was to establish the truth behind the mysterious online contact and to clarify whether digital manipulation played a role in the teenager’s tragic end.
