22-yr-old commits suicide, police blame Blue Whale

Seshadri ended his life by hanging himself at his house on Tuesday night when his family members were away, they said.

Police said they seized various books on ghosts and a mobile phone using which he had played the game. Police said they suspect that the man, an employee of a private factory at Mettukuppam in neighbouring Puducherry, could have committed suicide under the influence of the game. Further investigations were on, they added.

The online game demands players to complete tasks given by an anonymous controller over 50 days with the final challenge to commit suicide.

The game allegedly led to a spate of suicides in India and other countries last year.

However, the government informed Lok Sabha in January this year that there was no evidence of anyone committing suicide due to the Blue Whale challenge game.

A committee headed by the DG, Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In), investigated cases of suicide committed or attempted allegedly using Blue Whale challenge game. However, they could not establish involvement of the game in any of the deaths, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir had said in a written reply.

Recently, there have been reports of another similar killer game “momo” surfacing online with police in some states, including West Bengal and Odisha, cautioning schools and parents to ensure that children do not fall prey to it.