Momo Challenge| Most messages inviting to play the new killer game 'fake': West Bengal CID

The West Bengal CID on Tuesday said that most of the messages received by people inviting them to play the new killer online game ‘Momo Challenge’ were “fake”, adding there was no reason to panic or connect the recently reported suicide cases in West Bengal to the killer game.

“Almost all of the messages received by the people so far asking them to play the Momo Challenge are fake because there is no link leading to the game. There must be a link which will take the person receiving the message to the game. Fake messages can be created and that is what has happened. There is no reason to panic or to connect the recently reported suicide cases in West Bengal to ‘Momo Challenge’, state CID DIG (Operations) Nishat Pervez said.

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Pervez said all the numbers from where the messages were sent to play the Momo Challenge were based abroad and an investigation had been initiated into it.

The CID DIG, dismissing the reports of the deadly Momo Challenge claiming two lives, said that nobody in the state had reported about getting a message to play the Momo Challenge, adding that there was no proof that they committed suicide after playing the Momo Challenge.

“We have not received any single report of anybody getting a message that has taken him to a page on the Internet to play the game. And there was no complaint from family members of those who have committed suicide saying that they have died playing the game,” the CID DIG said.

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The Momo Challenge has led to two deaths in the state. Manish Sarki (18) of Kurseong in Darjeeling district hanged himself on August 20 while Aditi Goyal (26), also from the same place committed suicide the next day.

The CID DIG also urged parents to keep a tab on their wards and counsel them in case they spot any change in their behaviour.

(With inputs from agencies)