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Kapil Kumar, allegedly suffering from depression due to his father’s death and mother’s remarriage, was seen slapping pedestrians to experience “dopamine rush”.
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A 23-year-old unemployed graduate, reportedly suffering from depression following his father’s death and his mother’s remarriage, went on a slapping spree in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut.
The suspect, identified as Kapil Kumar, allegedly slapped several pedestrians, including a woman and a retired PCS officer, “to experience dopamine rush” for the last couple of months, The Times of India reported citing police.
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Several purported videos of Kumar’s slapping spree while riding his scooter were circulated on social media, culminating in his arrest on Sunday evening. Meerut City Vikram Singh told TOI that Kumar was identified in at least three of the slapping incidents.
A CCTV footage had earlier surfaced online showing a man walking on the street when a youth on a two-wheeler suddenly slapped him. The man was identified as a retired PCS officer. Later a woman, who claimed to be a close kin of a local complaint against an “unidentified man” for slapping her.
#UttarPradesh: A 23-year-old unemployed graduate in #Meerut, suffering from depression after his father’s death and mother’s remarriage, was arrested for slapping pedestrians, including a woman and a retired officer, seeking dopamine rush. pic.twitter.com/biIfUxrUog— Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) December 31, 2024
“He lost his father around five years ago and his mother remarried months later. He now stays with his mom and stepdad at Suraj Kund in Meerut. Kumar told cops he has been slapping people randomly while riding a scooter for dopamine rush and also encountered suicidal thoughts,” Singh said.
Ilam Singh, SHO of Nauchandi, said Kumar seemingly has a medical condition, causing him to seek dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that affects feelings of focus, motivation and happiness. However, it was unclear if he received any medication.
A police officer said Kumar claimed he had a troubled upbringing as his friends used him as an object of ridicule and mockery for his timid behaviour. “He told police that he was jobless, and nothing good was happening to him when he was at home and he was ‘not disturbing anyone’. So, one day, he thought that perhaps ‘something good might happen by doing a few bad things’,” the officer said.
- Location :
Meerut, India