Teen Hangs Herself To Death After Video Of Her Stealing Chocolate Inside Mall Goes Viral

A college student in India took her own life after a video of her stealing chocolate from a shopping mall went viral on social media.

The incident is being investigated as a case of abetment to suicide, police said Monday.

The teenager, who was reportedly in her third year of college, had gone to the shopping mall in the Indian state of West Bengal with her younger sister on Sept. 29.

The girl was caught on video stealing the chocolate and later apologized to the store's authorities for her actions, her father said. The teenager also paid them the price of the chocolate she tried to steal and begged them not to post the video of her on social media, the Times of India reported.

However, the video was shared online, leaving the teenager feeling humiliated to the point where she decided to hang herself to death.

"She had made a mistake. They had taken the money and even then, they harassed her. She pleaded with them not to make the video viral. Even after taking the money, they made the video go viral," the grieving father told reporters, as quoted by NDTV.

The teenager's body was found hanging inside the house Sunday.

Officials said the corpse was sent for an autopsy and the investigation continues.

The deceased youngster's father said the store officials should have taken legal action against his daughter for attempting to steal instead of causing her embarrassment with the viral video.

"They should have taken action as per the law. Why did they have to make the video go viral? Today my daughter has died by suicide. How will I get her back? They took her money, and they took my daughter. Can they return my daughter?" added the bereaved father.

Locals were enraged over the incident and gathered in front of the shopping mall to stage a protest over the store authorities' actions.

The police said they are considering the incident as a case of abetment to suicide and that no arrests have been made so far in connection with the girl's death.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.