Blue Whale ruled out in city teen’s suicide

POLICE PROBE Boy killed himself over failed love

Amid a raging debate that online deadly game ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ prompted a school-going teenager to end his life last month, a senior officer of the Mumbai police said the boy was “depressed” and killed himself after failed love.

“The boy left a suicide note in which he had written that he was ending his life due to depression. He had a deep crush on a girl who was his classmate. Recently, his class was shuffled and the girl was shifted to another division of the batch. This triggered him to slip into depression and finally ended his life,” the officer told the Free Press Journal and categorically ruled out Blue Whale angle behind his death.

The 14-year-old boy, Manpreet Sahan, committed suicide by jumping off the terrace of his fifth-floor home in Sher-e-Punjab area of Andheri (East) last month. After registering an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the case, the Meghwadi police were forced to investigate the Blue Whale angle after some media reports claimed that the boy killed himself playing the deadly online game.

The investigators have quizzed the boy’s relatives, school friends and neighbours but could not link the game to his death.

However, the FSL report of his gadgets, including mobile phone, laptop and desktop, is awaited. The police had sent the gadgets to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to ascertain if the boy was playing any deadly game before taking the extreme step.

Sahan’s neighbour noticed him falling from the terrace and informed the police. He was the studying in Standard IX. His father is an aeronautical engineer in Mumbai.

Blue Whale Challenge is a game of self-harm and to commit suicide after completion of task on the 50th day. Under the guidance of curator of the game, participants have to poke their forearms/legs with a needle many times during the course of the game.

Doctors had not found such injury marks on the Sahan’s body.