22-yr-old Tamil Nadu man found hanging, police suspect Blue Whale challenge

Cuddalore: A 22-year old engineer has allegedly committed suicide near Panrutti in Cuddalore district while suspected to have been playing the Blue Whale challenge game, police said Wednesday.

Seshadri committed suicide by hanging himself at his house Tuesday night when his family members were away, they said.

Police said they seized various books on ghosts and a mobile phone using which he had played the game.

Police said they suspect that the man, an employee of a private factory at Mettukuppam in neighbouring Puducherry, could have committed suicide under the influence of the game.

Further investigations were on, they added.

The online game demands players to complete tasks given by an anonymous controller over 50 days with the final challenge to commit suicide.

The game allegedly led to a spate of suicides in India and other countries last year.

However, the government informed Lok Sabha in January this year that there was no evidence of anyone committing suicide due to the Blue Whale challenge game.

A committee headed by the Director General, Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In), investigate cases of suicide committed or attempted allegedly using Blue Whale challenge game but could not establish involvement of the game in any of the deaths, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir had said in a written reply.

Recently, there have been reports of another similar killer game "momo" surfacing online with police in some states, including West Bengal and Odisha, cautioning schools and parents to ensure that children do not fall prey to it.