Ghaziabad: Fresh details from the Ghaziabad triple suicide case have shed light on an extreme emotional fixation with Korean culture and online gaming among the three minor sisters, raising serious concerns over unsupervised digital exposure and its psychological impact on children.
The diary recovered from the flat of Pakhi aged 12, Prachi aged 14, and Vishika aged 16, who jumped to their deaths from the ninth floor of their apartment in Bharat City early Wednesday, points to a deep sense of alienation and conflict at home. Investigators believe the tragedy may have been triggered by a task-based online game, coupled with restrictions imposed by their parents on mobile phone use. The eight-page handwritten note describes Korean culture as the centre of the girls’ lives. In emotionally charged passages, the sisters accused their parents of trying to sever them from what they considered their identity, writing that they loved Korean actors and K-pop groups more than their own family.
Police officials said the girls’ father had recently limited their access to mobile phones after noticing excessive gaming and screen time, a move that appears to have aggravated tensions within the household.
The diary contains a detailed list of cultural influences the girls said they were obsessed with, including Korean music, dance and actors, along with Thai, Chinese and Japanese films and songs. Hollywood movies, English songs, cartoons such as Doraemon and Peppa Pig, and Disney characters like Elsa and Ariel also feature prominently. Several survival and horror-themed mobile games, including Poppy Playtime, The Baby in Yellow, Evil Game and Ice Cream Man Game, were also mentioned. The note repeatedly refers to another sister, Devu, whom the girls wanted to influence with the same interests. They wrote that their parents prevented this and encouraged her towards Bollywood instead, which they claimed to detest. The girls said they were hurt at being asked to educate Devu rather than share what they described as their Korean identity with her.
According to the diary, this disagreement led the sisters to distance themselves from Devu and the rest of the family. They wrote that they began to see themselves as separate, stating that they were Korean and K-pop, while the rest were Indian and Bollywood.
The diary also reveals their rejection of social expectations, including marriage. The girls wrote that they did not want to marry an Indian and were angered by the idea being suggested by their parents, linking this conflict to their decision to end their lives.
Police are examining a mobile game described in the diary as a “Korean love game”, allegedly played by the sisters during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary findings suggest the game involved completing tasks, with the final task allegedly encouraging suicide. Investigators said the girls had even adopted Korean names, underscoring the depth of their obsession.
According to police, the three sisters locked their room from inside late Tuesday night and jumped from the balcony window one after another around 2:15 am. The sound alerted residents and security staff, who rushed to the spot. By the time family members broke open the door, all three had jumped. The sisters were taken to a hospital in Loni, where doctors declared them dead on arrival, officials said. Police have launched a detailed investigation, including forensic examination of the diary, mobile phones and gaming applications used by the girls.