Mumbai: 14-year-old boy dies by suicide in Mumbai, gaming addiction suspected
Mumbai, February 18: A fourteen-year-old boy died by suicide in Mumbai's Bhoiwada area, informed the police. The victim was allegedly addicted to playing online games.
According to police officials, the deceased minor was addicted to the game named 'Free Fire', which has been banned by the Government of India recently. However, he was still playing the game.
Garena Free Fire is a famous battle royale mobile game and was banned by the Government of India with other mobile apps, mostly from China.
The tragic incident took place on Sunday when the minor was alone at the house. The victim, who studied in class 7, had reportedly called his father before committing suicide but he didn't pick up the phone as he was travelling. A few minutes later, when he called back, the boy didn’t answer phone calls.
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The police further added that the minor had demanded some extra time from his parents to play the game which was refused by his parents, resulting in him committing suicide.
Meanwhile, the parents of the victim have denied that he was addicted to playing online games and asserted that he only played them occasionally. Minor's school teacher also shared that the boy did not show any sign of gaming addiction and said that he was a bright student and fond of cricket.
The investigation into the matter is underway, with the Bhoiwada police probing the case to find out if any task or challenge in the game led the boy to take the extreme step.
Vijay Patil, deputy commissioner of police, zone 4 said that “Preliminary report has revealed that the boy was addicted to Free Fire online game, but what exactly triggered him to take the extreme step is still a mystery.”
“We have registered an accidental death report and further probing the matter,” informed the DCP.
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-PTC News
