The State police are investigating whether the suspected suicide of a 16-year-old higher secondary student in the capital is linked to an online video game Blue Whale Challenger .
The student, who hails from a lower middle class family living in a working class suburb, was found dead hanging in his room ‘after 11 p.m. on July 26.’
Dy.SP, Nedumangadu, J. K. Dinil, who is investigating the case, said a case of unnatural death was registered. The police recorded the statements of the father, a Gulf-returnee, and his mother, a homemaker.
They also verified and found to be untrue rumours that he had a crush on a girl of his age and rejection must have spurred him to commit suicide. Investigators also learned that the youth was a recluse who spent long hours online on his father’s smartphone and personal computer.
A month later the youth’s family aired the suspicion that their ward could have been a victim of the game. The police have seized the mobile phone and laptop used by the youth to retrace his online activities.
Inspector General of Police Manoj Abraham, who heads Cyberdome, the cybersecurity research wing of the State police, said that so far the police have linked no suicide in Kerala to the online game. However, Kerala, with its high suicide rate and propensity to depression could be particularly vulnerable to such trends.
Hence, the police have warned parents and teachers about the so called ‘suicide game,’ though no deaths or injuries have been directly linked to it. The warning was just a precautionary measure.
