Mumbai teen allegedly kills self for 'Blue Whale' challenge
A 14-year-old Mumbai boy killed himself on Saturday after jumping off the terrace of a seven-storey building. Police suspect that the boy was addicted to the online game 'Blue Whale' which demands players to complete 50 tasks in 50 days, with the last task being committing suicide. However, the police is officially yet to find the reason for his suicide.
A 14-year-old boy in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai, killed himself this weekend, jumping off the terrace of his seven-floor building on Saturday. Sources within the Mumbai Police tell India Today that the boy is believed to have been addicted to an online game known as 'Blue Whale'. Blue Whale is a challenge-based underground game with a shadowy history, and has previously been linked to suicides in Russia and other countries. However, officially, Mumbai Police has said that it is yet to find the reason behind the 14-year-old Andheri boy's suicide.The boy, a 9th standard student of an international school in Andheri, is survived by his parents and two sisters. He dreamed of becoming a pilot and had expressed a desire to go to Russia for training. On Saturday, a neighbour from a building adjoining the boy's spotted the teenager on the terrace, walking on parapet while shooting what seemed to be a selfie video. The boy then jumped off and killed himself.  The Mumbai Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) in the matter and have ruled it to be a clear case of suicide.Cops, however, refused to confirm whether the suicide was linked to Blue Whale. Speaking to India Today, DCP Navinchandra Reddy said, "The parents have not given any information on the reason of suicide, they are in state of shock. We are investigating the case in all possible angles (sic)."BLUE WHALEBlue Whale is a video game said to have originated in Russia and its creator was reportedly arrested by Russian police earlier this year. The game gives players a series of 50 quests, with the final task asking them to commit suicide. The game also asks players to document the completion of each task in the form of photographs. The players are supposed to send the evidence of their completion to the game's administrator who then qualifies them to attempt the next task. Blue Whale's tasks range from the seemingly harmless - watching a scary video at 4 am - to the disturbing - writing/drawing on arms with a sharp object.For the final task, players are directed to jump off a terrace building while, again, documenting the act in the form of photos/video.  According to media reports, Blue Whale has spread across several countries and taken lives of hundreds of teenagers. However, the Andheri suicide would likely be the first such case in India.Following the suicide, a WhatsApp message warning parents about Blue Whale has begun to do the rounds in Mumbai. The message, seen by India Today, references the Andheri suicide to say that parents should be wary of handing their children mobile phones or other devices that could allow them to access the online challenge.