Chennai: A 19-year-old boy committed suicide by hanging himself in Madurai in the latest incident of Blue Whale suicide.
This is the first reported Blue Whale death in Tamil Nadu. Police said the second year BCom student was found hanging by his father on Wednesday evening.
A police officer said a picture of blue whale was drawn on his hand and a suicide note has also been recovered. “Blue Whale is not a game but danger and once entered you can never exit,” the note read.
Concerned over the rise in suicides by children, the Central government has banned the Blue Whale game. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had issued instructions to internet platforms, including Google India, Facebook, WhatsApp, Yahoo India, Instagram and Microsoft India, to identify and immediately remove links to Blue Whale Challenge and all other similar games.
The order also asks the internet platforms to report to police and other law enforcement agencies about the proponent of this game.
There have been several reports of Blue Whale deaths in the country, but very few of them have been established. The deadly game that overpowers kids and asks them to commit suicide has enjoyed a surge of popularity recently and has become a talking point in the nation.
In this shadowy underground challenge-based game, teens are given tasks to complete that include things ranging from something mundane to inflicting self-harm. There are 50 levels, with the extreme nature of the tasks growing by each level. Game ‘administrators’ elicit the personal information of the kids to ensure they do not back out.
The tasks in the game include climbing a crane, carving a specific phrase on the person’s own hand or arm, doing secret tasks, poking a needle in the arm or leg, standing on a bridge and roof, listening to music, and watching videos sent to the challengers by the administrator. The final level is committing suicide.
The game is said to have originated in Russia. It was created by 22-year-old Philipp Budeikin, who is currently spending three years in a Siberian jail. The game has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 130 kids around the world.
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