‘Will play again if I survive’, teen told friend a day before ending life in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: The 14-year-old boy who died by suicide allegedly after losing Rs 13 lakh in an online game he was playing for the past four months.Police said that a day before taking the extreme step, the child told one of his friends over the phone that he would play the game if he survived the next day. Deputy commissioner of police (south) Nipun Agarwal said, "It was found during investigation that the minor was playing the game for the past four months and got addicted to it.""On Sunday, just a day before his death, he transferred Rs 51,000 into a linked account. Investigators believe he gave access of his phone to a Bihar man, who might have reset the device after the suicide to erase crucial data," he added.Police said the device, which no longer carries any call logs, messages, social media accounts, or gaming history, holds the key to unfolding the circumstances under which the boy ended his life.According to investigators, the boy's father deposited money in his bank account after selling land for medical treatment. When he went to withdraw funds last week, he was shocked to find the balance to be zero. The amount, nearly Rs 13 lakh, was siphoned off over time. "On confronting his son, the boy admitted to losing the money in an online game. Family members, including his tuition teacher, counselled him against such behaviour. Later that evening, he was found hanging in his room. He was taken to a community health centre, where doctors pronounced him dead," he added."One of the friends of the victim informed the police that he had stopped meeting friends and spent more time at home. He once admitted to losing Rs 5,000 in the game, but this time he kept it a secret. He told his friend if he survived the next day, he would play again," the officer said.ACP, Mohanlalganj, Rajneesh Verma confirmed that forensic analysis of the phone was underway. "We are trying to recover call records, bank transfers, and digital footprints to establish if cyber fraudsters were behind this. The chain of transactions of over 10 months is being traced," he said.