Blue Whale suicide challenge: Mumbai Police suspect Andheri boy to be first victim in India

Mumbai Police is investigating if the teenager from Mumbai’s Andheri, who jumped off from the terrace last weekend, to be the first case of suicide connected to the alleged online deadly game, Blue Whale Suicide Challenge.

Police officials from the Mumbai Police told the media that the 14-year-old class 9 student who jumped off from a terrace at Sher-e-Punjab  in Mumbai's Andheri was addicted to the online game, Blue Whale challenge.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 10) ND Reddy told the media, “We have recorded the statement of the eyewitness and filed an ADR. We are investigating matter and it would be too early to comment.”

“Family members told the police that the boy did not show any signs of depression in the last few days prior to the untoward incident,” said a police official not authorised to talk to the media.

According to police, a boy who eyewitnessed the suicide told the police that the teenager was seen last walking on the barrier of the terrace while shooting a selfie-video and suddenly he jumped off from the building.

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There are fears that youngsters are being influenced to commit suicide through insane social media accounts. The suicide challenge reportedly originated in Russia where more than 100 suicide cases are linked to the Blue Whale game.

The Blue Whale is an online ‘suicide game’ where the participants are being asked to finish a set of daring challenges over a 50-day period and then they are being told to kill themselves.

According to reports, the game sets challenges initially such as watching horror films, cutting shapes into their skin and finally challenge them to commit suicide.

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The users are asked to send photographic evidence back to the creators of the game to complete each challenge. They ask them to send the pictures as proof or they will send threats.

The Blue Whale game first made news after a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Russia named Yulia Konstantinova posted the picture of a blue whale on Instagram shortly before jumping to death.