A social media star in China tragically died after her ex-husband allegedly doused her in petrol and set her on fire while she was recording live stream, local media reported. The vlogger identified as Lamu, 30, was immediately rushed to the hospital, and was fighting for life, until she was pronounced dead by the doctors.
According to media reports, the social media star suffered burns on 90 percent of her body and died two weeks after she was attacked. However, the news became public only after her death on Wednesday. The incident has once again prompted conversation on social media about violence against women in China.
Killed Brutally
Lamu had reportedly called for a divorce from her former husband, identified only by his surname Tang, because of domestic violence. Police, who have already detained Tang, say that the attack was in revenge. He reportedly broke into the star's home armed with a cleaver and petrol before attacking her in front of other family members on September 14.
According to state-media outlet the Beijing Youth Daily, Lamu's screen went black soon after she started live streaming on September 14. All the followers and visitors in the live streaming show could hear her scream but couldn't understand what was happening. Her account did not have any activity for two days before Lamu's sister, Zhuoma, posted about the attack.
A statement from Jinchuan County Public Security Bureau said that after the attack on 14 September, she was taken to a local hospital and later transferred to Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital for further treatment. However, after two weeks, Lamu succumbed to her injuries.
Lamu was a popular Tibetan video blogger who lived in the mountainous prefecture of Aba in western China's Sichuan Province. She gained popularity over Douyin, China's version of TikTok, over her happy posts on rural life. The social media star was praised for not using makeup in her videos, which had millions of likes.
Police Still Clueless
Police have launched an investigation but is yet to find out the exact reason behind the brutal murder of the star. According to the Beijing Youth Daily, Tang reportedly had a history of domestic violence.
Lamu reportedly divorced Tang earlier this year in May. The pair has two children, and each gained custody of one child. However, shortly after the divorce, Tang threatened to kill one of the children if Lamu did not re-marry him, said the news report.
She did remarry him, but ended up running away from Tang. Unable to find her, he reportedly questioned her relatives; Lamu's sister, who on refusing to reveal her whereabouts, was also beaten by Tang. Family members said this incident was reported to the police who, according to them, took no action. The incident once again raises concern over spike in domestic violence in China.
Through her account on Douyin, she had amassed more than 782,000 followers and 6.3million 'likes' before being assaulted. In the last video featuring Lamu, she was performing to a traditional Tibetan song to express her best wishes to her fans.
