Mumbai influencer arrested for 'faking suicide' to gain followers

An influencer from Mumbai was arrested by the police on Sunday for 'faking his death' on Instagram by posting a dangerous video to gain followers. The influencer named Irfan Khan had attempted a risky stunt and had pretended to commit suicide on the railway tracks in Mumbai to gain followers. Enacting a suicide sequence, the 20-year-old had made a video of himself falling under a speeding train while sitting on a railway track after facing rejection from his lover. The pretend sequence cost the influencer in his real-life after the video went viral and came to the notice of the Mumbai Police. Irfan Khan was detained by the Mumbai police for 'glorifying and promoting' suicide.

After his arrest, Khan clarified that the segment of him being blown up by a train was doctored using video and special effects. He also deleted the fake suicide video from his Instagram and issued an apology for it. Moreover, he has claimed that there was to be a second part of the video where he 'wakes up' and is shown happily enjoying his life with his mother and father.

A case has been registered against him under sections 188, 336, and 505 (1) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 145 and 147 of the Indian Railways Act. The video was shot between Bandra and Khar railway stations.

Mumbai influencer fakes suicide

Last month, a similar incident by an influencer faking his own suicide had emerged from Mumbai, In the video, an influencer named Armaan Shaikh was seen holding a gun and shooting himself onto the railway tracks after facing heartbreak in his relationship. After his arrest, the influencer stated that the gun that he was holding was a cigarette lighter and that the video of him getting hit by a train was created using editing effects. The video was reportedly filmed near the Jogeshwari railway station. He had also been apprehended by the Mumbai Police in 2020 after he posted a clip of him standing on a motorcycle while riding it online. There are several other stunt videos on his Instagram.