Delhi teen attempts suicide, cops probe Blue Whale link

The Delhi Police are probing if a recent suicide attempt by a 16-year-old boy in the national capital was linked to the Blue Whale Challenge, an Internet game that requires players to end their lives.

The teenager had jumped off the terrace of his residence in north Delhi’s Ashok Vihar on Wednesday afternoon, leaving his mobile phone, spectacles and a pair of bathroom slippers behind.

“Though these recoveries initially made us investigate the Blue Whale angle, subsequent findings did not support that theory,” said deputy commissioner of police (north-west) Milind Dumbere.

The boy remains admitted to a city hospital in a critical state. As he was unfit to give a statement, police questioned his family and friends regarding the circumstances that led to the incident.

“The victim had recently changed schools. The boy was still very much attached to friends in his previous educational institution, and — according to our investigations so far — he was finding it hard to cope with students in his new school,” Dumbere said.

Though no injuries linking the act to the Blue Whale Challenge were found on the teenager’s body, police said the possibility can be completely ruled out only after a thorough check of his mobile phone.

“The handset is passwordprotected, and we are yet to unlock it,” the police officer said on Saturday, three days after the alleged suicide attempt.

The boy’s mother was at home when he jumped off the terrace. The matter came to light a few minutes later, when neighbours heard a sound and found the boy lying unconscious on the ground.

The victim was rushed to a local hospital, from where he was referred to a bigger medical institute.

The boy’s father runs a dry fruit business in the city.

The Blue Whale Challenge, an online game that originated in Russia, makes players undertake a number of agonising or painful tasks before eventually instructing them to commit suicide.