Mumbai: In light of the Andheri teen, Manpreet’s death while allegedly playing online game ‘Blue Whale’, his family has said that he was not playing the deadly suicide game. This is the statement the Sahans family has given the Meghwadi police, who are investigating the death of the 14-year-old from Andheri East. Manpreet used to mostly play GTA on his PlayStation and went by the name ‘Gamer’ in the gaming world.
An officer was quoted as saying in a Mid-Day report, “They are all still in shock. We approached them on Thursday, and they told us that the boy used to play games on his PlayStation and online, denying that he had been involved in the Blue Whale Challenge. The family also said he hadn’t shown any signs of depression, that he didn’t appear disturbed. His parents said there were no noticeable changes in his behaviour and he hadn’t come to them to share any problems either, reported Mid-Day.
The police, who are investigating this case very closely said that they have approached Andheri-based Bombay Cambridge School, where Manpreet used to study in the ninth standard and spoke to his teachers and friends. They told officers that Manpreet was an active child and loved to play outdoor games and that there were never any signs to show that he was contemplating suicide or to harm himself. Manpreet’s friends also said that he had told them that he would not be coming to school on Monday, just a day before he allegedly jumped off his building and ending his life.
A police source added, “Investigation has revealed that Manpreet used to love to play video games and often asked his friends to join him in playing online games. But, apparently, there’s no certainty that he had taken up the Blue Whale Challenge. He used to mostly play GTA on his PlayStation and went by the name ‘Gamer’ in the gaming world. He used to also play games on Facebook sometimes.”
“We are yet to receive the forensic analysis report of his cell phone from the Kalina Forensic Laboratory. Once that’s out, we can get all the browsing data to ascertain whether the Blue Whale Challenge was the reason behind his death. As of now, no evidence has been found that he was on to it,” the source further added.
The Meghwadi police have so far filed an accidental death report in the case regarding the demise of Manpreet.
