Mumbai boy tells parents: Consider me all but dead

Fifteen-year-old leaves note scribbled on newspaper for family; cops find out about game after scanning his online activity

Even as the police are struggling to figure how to combat the Blue Whale Challenge, there's another game doing the rounds that has children and youth in its grip. It's called Blue Net and is most likely a spin-off of the original. The parents of a 15-year-old boy are frantically searching for him after he left his home in Govandi on Sunday, purportedly to kill himself to fulfil the challenge. He scribbled a note for his family on a newspaper that said, "I know what I am doing is wrong, but do not look for me, consider me dead." The family has told the police that he has taken a few notebooks with him. His phone has been switched off since.

A senior police officer said, "We have learnt that the boy was playing a game called Blue Net, but we are still trying to find out what the tasks were of two levels that he had completed. He has left a note for his family telling them not to look for him."

Also Read: All You Need To Know About The Mysterious Blue Whale Suicides

The police's chats with the boy's friends have revealed that he was playing the online game 'Blue Net', similar to the deadly Blue Whale challenge and after completing the tasks of two levels, he has allegedly left home as part of the third task. The police have confirmed that he was playing the game after going through his computer at home. A team of officers from the local police, crime branch and Anti-terrorism squad are now trying to trace the boy.

Police sources said the Std 10 student (name withheld to protect his identity) is the son of a senior director with a media house giant. He was staying with his aunt in Govandi for the holidays.

Sources said that on October 29, when the family members had gone to watch a movie, the teenager, who had made some excuse to avoid accompanying them, left the house with Rs 15,000. When the family returned, they found a note left by the boy, urging the family to not look for him. The matter was immediately reported to the Govandi police, who wasted no time and lodged a kidnapping case (missing minors' cases are always treated as kidnappings).

"While speaking to his friends, investigators learnt that he used to play a Blue Net game that had challenging and deadly tasks. Following this, the police scanned his online activities and learnt that the boy was indeed playing one such game. He had cleared tasks of two levels and for the third task he had been instructed to leave home, which he did," said a police officer requesting anonymity.

Police are trying to get some leads to locate the boy who has not contacted anyone after leaving home. The local police, crime branch and ATS are trying to trace him.