Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

You can enter but never leave: Blue Whale victim

- KV Lakshmana letters@hindustant­imes.com

Police in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai said on Thursday they are investigat­ing the contact numbers on the mobile phone of the 19-year-old college student, who committed suicide after playing the deadly Blue Whale challenge, and the members of a WhatsApp group he was a part of.

J Vighnesh, a second year BCom student in Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College, was found hanging from a ceiling fan on Wednesday by his father J Jayamani. The boy used his mother’s saree to hang himself.

Madurai SP Manivannan confirmed Blue Whale challenge was the cause of the suicide after a tattoo of a whale, made using a sharp object, was found on his left hand. Participan­ts of the game have to complete a series of dangerous self-harming challenges over a period of 50 days and “win” the game by committing suicide.

“We are searching the cell phone of Vighnesh and will try and detect the other members in the group as mentioned by his mother. The players will try and etch a whale picture on their arm and this is the sure shot indication of impending danger to the life of the teenagers,” Manivannan said.

“At present, there is a WhatsApp group that we are trying to investigat­e,” he said.

The officer told the media the police will try and spread awareness about the game.

CONTINUED ON P 7

 ?? PTI ?? CPI (M)'s Sitaram Yechury and AIADMK's Tiruchi Siva in New Delhi on Thursday
PTI CPI (M)'s Sitaram Yechury and AIADMK's Tiruchi Siva in New Delhi on Thursday

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