Three minor sisters died on Wednesday after allegedly jumping off the balcony of a ninth-floor flat in Ghaziabad, with preliminary reports suggesting the reason to be mobile phone addiction and the influence of an online Korean game, news agency PTI reports.
However, Chetan Kumar, father of deceased Nishika (16), Prachi (14) and Pakhi (12), said that he was unaware that the game they were playing involved "tasks," but added that his daughters had repeatedly said that they wanted to go to Korea.
The police received information around 2.15 am that three girls had jumped off the balcony of a ninth-floor flat in a tower of Bharat City under the Teela Mor police station limits in the Sahibabad area. On reaching the spot, the police found that the girls had fallen to the ground floor and suffered fatal injuries. They were rushed by an ambulance to a hospital in Loni, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
Police have said the sisters were "influenced" by Korean content and were highly "addicted" to mobile phone usage and an online Korean task-based interactive game.
What Is Korean Love Game?
The Korean love game is allegedly an online task-based, interactive game with virtual storytelling. In the game, players are supposed to complete tasks, make choices, and complete tasks to move the story forward, as reported by DNA. It can be recalled that Korean Love Game is similar to 'Blue Whale game', an online social media phenomenon that gained notoriety for allegedly encouraging teenagers to complete a series of self-harm tasks over 50 days, culminating in suicide.
Asked whether he ever tried to stop his daughters from gaming, Kumar said he had no idea about the nature of the game. Kumar said he later learned that the game involved instructions, which the children followed.
It should be noted that these reports are based on unconfirmed sources and NDTV Profit has not independently verified the app's details.
The Incident
Recounting the sequence of events, the father of the minors said the family was asleep at the time. His wife was sleeping in the inner room. The girls woke up on the pretext of drinking water, bolted the door from inside and jumped from the balcony. He said the girls had mobile phones with them, but he did not notice them immediately.
He recalled that Prachi had once told him she was the 'boss' and that her sisters followed her directions. Kumar said the three sisters did everything together and mostly remained confined to their room.
He added that the girls had not attended school for the past two to three years after failing academically, which made them feel embarrassed and increasingly withdrawn. Investigators also recovered a diary containing a handwritten note that read, "Sorry, Papa, I am really sorry," along with a crying-face emoji.
The police said the exact circumstances leading to the incident are still being investigated, and statements of family members are being recorded.
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