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(By: Shubro Maitra)

MALDA: A 17-year-old boy died in Pirganj, Malda, on Tuesday night when a stunt TikTok video he and a couple of his friends were shooting went horribly wrong.

Karim Sheikh was tied to an electricity pole, his face covered with a plastic bag, while the others - who are not being named because they are minors - were filming him trying to escape. But Karim suffocated by the time the shoot ended in about 10 minutes. Realising he had died, the other two fled in panic.

The incident comes close on the heels of a similar death in UP's Bareilly. On Monday, an 18-year-old boy - an Armyman's son - accidentally shot himself while shooting a TikTok video.

Police said the youngsters, who work as labourers outside the state, were hooked on social media, and especially fond of TikTok. On Tuesday, they decided to shoot the risky video at Achintola Haat, near their village. The shooting on a mobile freed Karim afterwards, but he had gone limp by then.

Victim hooked to TikTok

Villagers later found Karim Sheikh’s body lying in the field and rushed him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Doctors said the cause of death was suffocation.

Karim’s uncle, Rabiul Islam, said his nephew was obsessed with TikTok videos. “He and his friends were always on their phones, either playing games or making videos. We have lodged a police complaint against two of his friends.” Karim’s younger brother, too, confirmed that Karim was hooked to shooting videos and that he used to often take risks to make sensational videos.

A case of unnatural death has been registered. “Three minor boys were shooting a video and one of them died accidentally,” said police superintendent Alok Rajoria.

