Close shave for youth as he quits online game akin to 'Blue Whale'

Kolkata: Raunak Singha, a Class XI student from Garbeta in West Midnapore, who had started playing an online game in which he used to get instructions from the game developers, was saved from a terrifying fate after he quit the game after completing two stages after his family came to know about the incident.

However, it is not clear if Raunak was playing the infamous Blue Whale game. The family members lodged a specific complaint in the local police station. The boy's family members told the police that Raunak might have been taking the challenges of the Blue Whale game since August 18. He had stopped attending schools and private tuitions as a result. The boy claimed that it all started when he clicked on a link that came on his mobile phone. Since then he was receiving some instructions from some unknown entity in the other end. In the first challenge he was asked to inscribe 'F57' on his hand with the help of needles which he did. He was then told to watch horror film at midnight. After doing this, he was given another set of challenges but the he sought some time.

The boy told his family members that he received phone calls where he was threatened to continue the game. The family members found that he used to be depressed and he did not talk to his family members ever since he started playing the online game.

The youth later divulged the matter to one of his friends who in turn informed the latter's family member. The youth's family members came to know about the matter from his friend's family. After that, Raunak told his family members about the challenges.

After being informed the police reached the house of the Raunak for the sake of investigation. Police are yet to confirm if he was playing the Blue Whale game. According to the preliminary investigation, the district police suspect that this could be some other game. Police are investigating if any group has been operating from the state attracting the youth in online games which may prompt the victims to commit suicide. This game could be similar to that of the Blue Whale game but might be operated by some people from the state or from the country. Police have started a detailed probe in this regard.

It may be mentioned here that on August 12, a 15-year-old teenager from Keshpur under the same district fell victim to an online game when he committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling in the bathroom.

According to family members, the teenager went to take a bath and was inside for more than an hour. They broke the door only to find his dead body with his face wrapped in a plastic sheet and a towel tied around his neck.