18-yr-old ‘content creator’ dies creating hanging video

An 18-year-old youth died in Lucknow after a social media stunt went tragically wrong while he was allegedly filming a reel involving a hanging act at his home in the Madiaon area, police said on Wednesday.

According to his family, the deceased, identified as Mohammad Zakir, had locked himself inside a room on April 5 and was attempting to record a video when he lost balance and accidentally hung himself. “He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and succumbed during treatment on Wednesday morning,” said police.

Family members said the incident took place around 11 am on Sunday when Zakir’s mother, Shehnaz Bano, was cooking at home while other members were away for work. During this time, Zakir went into a room, bolted the door from inside and set up a noose, allegedly to shoot a reel. While recording, he reportedly slipped and ended up hanging from the loop.

After receiving no response for a prolonged period, his mother grew suspicious and knocked on the door. When there was still no reply, she alerted neighbours. The door was then broken open, and Zakir was found hanging and unconscious. He was immediately brought down and rushed to Balrampur Hospital, where he remained under treatment before succumbing to injuries.

“Police said the body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and further legal proceedings are underway,” said SHO Madiaon Shiavanand Mishra.

Officials added that the circumstances surrounding the incident are being examined.

Zakir had studied up to Class 8 before dropping out of school. His father, Mohammad Rafiq, works as a scrap dealer. He was the third among four brothers.

Had 1700 Insta followers; videos of stunts

A sneak peak into his Instagram showed that he was also active on Instagram under the name “Official Zakir Sid”, where he described himself as a digital creator. His account had over 1,700 followers and featured a handful of posts, including short videos and motivational content.