A 14-year-old boy is said to have committed suicide in Mumbai on Saturday, July 29, by jumping off the terrace of his seven-floor Andheri building. The 9th standard boy was last seen by his neighbour walking on the parapet of the terrace and shooting a video of himself, after which he is said to have leapt to his death.
The exact reason behind the suicide is yet to be known and the Mumbai police have filed a report of accidental death. They have also said that it is a clear case of suicide. "The parents have not given any information on the reason of suicide, they are in state of shock. We are investigating the case in all possible angles," DCP Navinchandra Reddy told India Today.
The teenager is survived by his parents and two sisters. He wanted to be a pilot when he grew up and had also said that he would like to go to Russia to train as a pilot.
Meanwhile, it is also being said that the teen may have committed suicide as part of the diabolical Blue Whale game, which he was reportedly addicted to. Social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram of late have been abuzz with discussions over the Blue Whale Challenge, also called the Blue Whale Game.
The challenge looks anything but fun, but there seem to be a lot of teens actually taking up the challenge, which encourages self-harm, even ending suicide. Many have also been posting images that show a whale carved on their forearms.
What is the Blue Whale Challenge?
The challenge is said to have started as a social media game, in which a self-harm group encourages teens to commit suicide. The group administrator assigns daily tasks to the members over a period of 50 days. While the tasks initially involve watching horror movies and self-harm, they get creepier by the day eventually encouraging the member to commit suicide on the 50th day.
There are numerous posts online now, but the trend first made news when a Russian schoolgirl posted an image of a blue whale on Instagram and committed suicide by jumping off a 14-storey building. She was accompanied by her best friend, who jumped along with her, reported The Sun.
While the challenge is reportedly also becoming a menace in the US, UK, Brazil and France, most of the cases that have surfaced seem to be Russia-centric. However, with the Mumbai teen committing suicide, there are chances that the challenge may have reached India as well.
Post the incident, a WhatsApp message is reportedly being circulated in Mumbai and advises parents to keep an eye on their children's social media activity so that they do not fall into such traps.
Philipp Budeikin – the creator
The game was created by Philipp Budeikin, a Russian, who admitted that he had convinced about 16 girls to end their lives.
"Do something beautiful at least once in your life, it is so good to die young. Life is awful, it will not get better. You are rare, a selected one," is what he told his victims. However, Budeikin, 21, seems to have no remorse and instead explained that he was "cleansing the society" of "biological waste" who were "happy to die," reported Metro UK.
Revealing that he even got tonnes of love letters from young girls he added: "They were dying happy. I was giving them what they didn't have in real life: warmth, understanding, connections."
