Kerala police skeptical of online gaming link in teen’s suspected suicide
KOCHI: Online gaming is to blame for the suspected death by suicide of a 15-year-old boy in Kaprassery, Chengamanad, relatives and local residents said. But, police are yet to buy into the theory. The body of Agnel, a 10th grader, was found hanging on Friday evening in his bedroom after he returned from school. His parents had to force open the door after he did not respond to calls. The teenager was immediately rushed to hospital but his life could not be saved.
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Kerala: Mystery behind deadly online games
“He was wearing a raincoat with the hood on, the mouth was sealed and the hands were tied to the back. Everything in the room raised suspicion,” said Dileep Kaprassery, a local people’s representative, describing the deceased’s bedroom. “We also noticed pieces of burnt paper in the room,” he said.
“His outfit could have been part of the task of a game like Blue Whale,” Dileep said. From talking to his parents and relatives, we got the picture that the boy was addicted to online games,” Dileep said, calling for a detailed investigation.
“Agnel was very attached to his parents and good in academics, too. He had a craze for mobile phone games, like many of his peers, but we don’t know what led him to take his own life,” a relative said. “He didn’t have a mobile phone of his own and as a result we never kept a watch on him. The family was planning to travel to Mangaluru to meet Agnel’s sister, who is a student there, he said.
Police said that it was too early to suspect the influence of online games. “We can’t make that assumption just yet. Our preliminary findings suggest the boy was addicted to mobile phones, like other children his age,” said an officer of Nedumbassery police station. We have seized the mobile phone and will conduct an inquiry, he said.
“A comprehensive probe will throw light on all the angles. We will consider the involvement of online games, too,” Ernakulam Rural police chief Vaibhav Saxena said.
