Police denies reports of ‘Blue Whale’ game prompted suicide by a youth in Gujarat

Ahmedabad/Palanpur: Police today denied the reports in a section of media regarding the suicide of a 30 year old man from a village in Banaskantha district owing to notorious ‘Blue Whale’ internet game.

Police claimed that the suicide being touted as the ‘first case of Blue Whale related death’ in Gujarat was in fact committed by a youth owing to his being terminally ill due to blood cancer.

PI of Sabarmati Riverfront West A J Bhagora today said that Ashok P Maluna (30), resident of Malan village under Palanpur taluka police station of Banaskantha district had jumped in to the Sabarmati river from Sardar bridge on August 31. His body was recovered in the afternoon yesterday from riverfront near Paldi. He was suffering from blood cancer and used to come to civil hospital here for treatment. His family members were contacted on the basis of his aadhar card and mobile phone found in the bag left by him on the bridge before committing suicide.

Maternal uncle of the deceased, Ukaji M Banwatar in his statement has said that he was detected with blood cancer some time back and was under treatment in civil hospital here for past six months. He was depressed and fed up of his disease. He must have committed suicide owing to it.

PSI of Palanpur Taluka police station under which his village Malan falls, Parimal C Desai said that the matter has not come to the knowledge of his police station officially so far. ‘We don’t have any official word about this so far and we have neither been informed that it was a case of suicide owing to Blue whale game,’ he said.

PI Bhagora on the other hand said that linking the suicide with Blue whale game was nothing but falsity.

In a section of media it was reported that Ashok had committed suicide owing to blue whale game. He had reportedly posted a facebook post before his suicide. He was also said to be playing the final stage of the notorious game. Police denied it all.

DeshGujarat