BENGALURU: A

with a few lakh followers on video-sharing app

chose to part ways with her

of 12 years after he vehemently objected to her posting videos that he termed were ‘damaging to family values.’

Faris and Najma (both names changed) entered into wedlock in the summer of 2008 and lived in a joint family in central Bengaluru. A sales representative, Faris landed a job in Saudi Arabia and shifted to the Gulf nation leaving his wife with her parents. The couple was blessed with a baby boy in 2014.

“Three years ago, the woman’s neighbour introduced her to TikTok and she instantly got hooked to it. With a pseudo handle, she started making videos and enjoying the online attention she was receiving in terms of followers and likes,” said Ekbal Ahmed, a senior counsellor at Parihar family counselling centre at the police commissionerate. He handled the couple’s case after they approached the centre to settle their differences.

Earlier in 2019, Faris, amid work in Riyadh, received a shocker when a friend from back home sent him a

of a woman allegedly performing an obscene dance. “He couldn’t believe it when his friend told him it was his wife who was performing in the video, which had received lakhs of likes and elicited thousands of lewd comments on TikTok. He confronted his wife through phone and video calls only to hear her blaming the friend, who she said was making mischief by morphing her images on to lewd dance moves,” Ahmed added.

Unconvinced by his wife’s protestations, Faris quit his well-paying job and flew down to Bengaluru in early October. He confronted Najma with numerous videos of hers on TikTok but she burst into tears accusing him of doubting her. Finally, one video made in their house exposed Najma’s lies.

“She finally admitted to having made and posted numerous videos, including obscene ones, due to the response and popularity she received on TikTok. The husband then approached police, who referred the matter to us. We tried to reconcile the couple through counselling,” said the senior counsellor.

But the woman was determined to continue being on TikTok and didn’t want to forgo lakhs of fans who had lauded her performances over the years.

“We have come across numerous cases of social media related marital discord in recent months and have to handle each one with utmost care. No one can be blamed for their individual actions and we can only try to bring about an amicable solution through counselling. The aim is to save the relationship or marriage by mending whatever differences there may be,” said Rani Shetty, head of Parihar.

The couple is headed for divorce and is set to battle it out over their son’s custody.