Meta’s alerts help save two young women from committing suicide

 

By Sumesh Rajan | September 2, 2025

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA: In two separate incidents, alerts from Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — enabled Uttar Pradesh Police to rescue two young women who had attempted suicide. Both cases underline how real-time monitoring of distress-related posts, combined with rapid police action, can prevent tragedies.

Bareilly Rescue: 16 Minutes Between Alert and Action

On August 31, a 20-year-old first-year BA student in Bareilly uploaded a photograph of pesticide tablets on Instagram with a despairing caption, suggesting she intended to end her life. The post was quickly flagged by Meta’s safety systems and forwarded to the UP Police Social Media Centre around 12:45 pm.

The alert was escalated to senior officers, and Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Krishna ordered immediate action. A police team, including a Sub-Inspector and women personnel, reached the student’s home within 16 minutes.

The young woman was found vomiting and in a distressed state. She was given first aid and stabilised. Later, she told police that she had entered into a relationship with a man she met on Instagram. After a quarrel, he blocked her, which left her devastated. The pesticide she consumed, she said, had been purchased by her father for agricultural purposes.

Ghazipur Case: Police Break Into Locked Room to Save Woman

Earlier, on August 10 in Ghazipur, a 21-year-old woman streamed a live video on Instagram at 11:34 pm, showing herself mixing medicines in water and consuming the solution. The clip was captioned: “I am forced to consume poison.”

Meta’s monitoring system flagged the content as a suicide risk and immediately sent an alert to the UP Police headquarters in Lucknow. Using details shared in the alert, police traced her location. A team led by local officers, along with a woman constable, reached her house in just 19 minutes.

Her room was locked from inside, forcing police to break in. They found her unconscious on the bed and rushed her to hospital, where doctors administered emergency treatment and revived her.

Investigations revealed that the woman, who had been working in Delhi’s water supply sector, had fallen in love with a man from Prayagraj and planned to marry him. But after losing her job and returning home, the man gradually severed contact, pushing her into emotional distress. Police counselled her and obtained an assurance that she would not repeat the act. Her family expressed deep gratitude to the officers for their timely intervention.

Broader Effort to Curb Online Suicides

Since 2022, UP Police have been working with Meta to track suicide-related posts on Facebook and Instagram. Alerts are routed to the state’s Social Media Centre, enabling police to identify distressed individuals and intervene before it is too late.

According to official data, between January 1, 2023, and August 25, 2025, this collaboration has helped save over 1,300 lives across Uttar Pradesh.

Officials said both the Bareilly and Ghazipur incidents highlight the crucial role of digital platforms in identifying distress signals, and the importance of swift on-ground police response. They also urged people facing emotional or mental health struggles to seek help and counselling instead of resorting to self-harm.