Kerala Teen’s Death Triggers Probe Into K-Pop Linked Instagram Network Targeting Minors

The death of a 16-year-old girl in Chottanikkara has led police to investigate a suspected online network that may have influenced teenagers through anonymous social media accounts.

The student left home on January 27 saying she was going to school. She was later found dead in a quarry near her house. What initially appeared to be a personal tragedy has now widened into a cyber investigation after officers recovered digital clues from her phone and online activity.

According to officials, a note believed to have been written by the teenager mentioned emotional distress linked to the reported death of a Korean friend. However, officials now suspect that online interactions may have played a larger role.

At the centre of the probe is an Instagram

account named ‘Black Venom,’ which the girl had been following.

Police sources said the account carried posts related to Korean music bands and imagery aimed at teenagers strongly drawn to Korean pop culture.

The account reportedly had more than 30 followers earlier, but most disappeared soon after the girl’s death, raising suspicions of coordinated behaviour.

Cyber forensic analysis has revealed worrying patterns. Officers found that students were secretly bringing mobile phones to school and operating several Instagram accounts from a single device. In one case, eight different accounts were logged in on one phone sent for examination.

Login credentials have been preserved, but many profiles were created under false identities, making it difficult to trace the users. Investigators believe minors may have been interacting in closed groups using coded communication.

Authorities are now examining whether organised cyber groups could be psychologically influencing teenagers by circulating emotional or misleading content. Officials told The New Indian Express that tracking such accounts is challenging as many operate through foreign servers or private browsing modes.

The victim, who is the only daughter of Mahesh, has now become the focus of a wider debate about the risks young users face online and the need for closer monitoring of children’s digital spaces.

(With inputs from IANS)