Andhra Pradesh teenager dies by suicide after being mocked for losing PUBG: Report

The mother of the 15-year-old boy has raised doubts over the death and filed a case of suspicious death under Section 174 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure).

A 15-year-old boy from Machilipatnam town in Andhra Pradesh has reportedly died by suicide after being mocked for losing a PUBG mobile round. According to The New Indian Express, citing police officials, the teenager was spending the summer holidays with his father and family members, where he was allegedly teased for losing a PUBG game. The mother of the deceased, who is separated from the father, raised doubts over the death and has filed a case of suspicious death under Section 174 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure). The incident came to light days after another PUBG-related criminal case was registered in Lucknow. As per reports, a 16-year-old had shot dead his mother after she refused the boy to play the online action title. The original PUBG Mobile remains banned in India for security reasons from September 2020. Currently, new PUBG iterations such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and PUBG New State are available to play in the country.

The police told the national daily that the 15-year-old boy was playing PUBG with cousins on the night of June 11. After being teased by cousins, the father forbade the teenager to play the action title, which allegedly got him more upset. The publication quoting Chilakalapudi Circle Inspector V Narayana highlights, "After dinner, he slept alone in a room and committed suicide by hanging. Family members said the boy used to play games on the mobile phone most of the time and was depressed after making fun of him for losing the game. When his father knocked on the door on Sunday morning, he did not open [the door]. The family members broke open the door only to see the boy hanging from the fan".

Earlier this month, another case of a PUBG-related death was witnessed in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. As mentioned, a 16-year-old Lucknow boy allegedly killed his mother after she forbade him to play the action mobile game. The police said that the teenager hid the dead body in a room for nearly two days and locked his younger sister in another room. The minor even reportedly offered Rs 5,000 to his friend to dispose of the body. Officials noted that his friends refused and returned home.

Many experts have raised mental health concerns related to online action games in the past. Last year, Arunachal Pradesh MP Ninong Ering even wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting the government to not allow PUBG developer Krafton to relaunch BGMI in India. Ering had shared the letter addressed to PM Modi on Twitter.

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