On July 5, the entire nation was shocked to its core after news emerged that a local TikToker named Rajeswary Appahu, fondly known as Esha, had died due to suicide after enduring months of cyberbullying.
Following the tragedy, police moved swiftly and arrested several suspects linked to the case, including a woman who worked at an old folks’ home.
Fined RM100 for her hand in Esha’s cyberbullying & suicide case
According to FMT, the female suspect was identified as 35-year-old Shalini Periasamy, who was accused of making insulting remarks through her TikTok account, @alphaquinnsha, at 4am on July 1.
The charge was framed under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, which carries a maximum fine of RM100 if found guilty.
Shalini immediately pleaded guilty to the charge and was ordered to pay the RM100 fine by Magistrate MS Arunjothy.
2nd suspect pleads guilty to making obscene remarks
Meanwhile, another suspect linked to Esha’s case, a lorry driver named B Sathiskumar, was accused of purposely making obscene remarks with the intention of hurting others through his TikTok account, @dulal_brothers_360, on June 30.
He pleaded guilty to the charge framed under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to RM50,000, or both, upon conviction.
However, he pleaded not guilty to a second charge framed under Section 509 of the Penal Code, where he was accused of subjecting Esha’s mother, R Puspa, to public humiliation with the same TikTok account.
In court, deputy public prosecutor Sabri Othman requested the court to impose a hefty bail amount to ensure Sathiskumar appears in court and for his role in contributing to Esha’s suicide by posting the said remarks.
Sessions court judge Siti Aminah Ghazali then set bail at RM18,000 with one surety for each charge. She also ordered Sathiskumar to surrender his passport until the disposal of his case and to report to the nearest police station monthly, reported The Star.
The case has since been set for mention on Aug 16.
Read more about the tragedy here:
