Blue whale dare

Peer pressure, FOMO tempts teens to risk life and limb for social clout and cool badges

Non-degradable waste estimated at around 2,765 tonnes remains piled up in different parts of the city between March 3 and 21, after the fire at Brahmapuram.

NEW DELHI: A 14-year old student from Andheri in Mumbai may be the first reported Indian victim+ of the 'The Blue Whale Challenge' game, which appears to be still influencing people despite its creator Philipp Budeikin being thrown in jail last month.

The child was playing the game on his father's mobile phone for a long time, but the parents had no clue, say police.

Blue Whale: The government has directed top internet platforms - Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft and Yahoo - to immediately remove the links to the notorious online game - Blue Whale Challenge

Police are yet to ascertain if the death of Ankan De, a Class-X student of Keshpur, has any link with the Blue Whale internet challenge. A police team led by additional SP of West Midnapore, Sachin Makkar, visited the house of Ankan at Anandapur in Keshpur, about 40 km from West Midnapore, on Sunday and also seized the computer, which was used by Ankan, from his father's shop.

A senior police officer from Kochi has categorically denied the existence of the Blue Whale Challenge. He further said that the experts had searched the cyber space for more than a fortnight and had not come across even one administrator, goading gamers to undertake bizarre tasks.

A 24-year-old student sustained severe injuries after she jumped from her seventh floor flat in Virugambakkam around 11pm on Monday, landing on a car parked below.

Blue whale: The woman is said to be a kickboxing champion and medal winner in national and state events. Police recovered papers containing tasks of the online game with illustration of a whale. Police also found minor injuries on her hands.

Blue whale challenge: Though no such deaths have been reported in Karnataka yet, the government wants to reach out to schools and colleges. The move comes close on the heels of the Centre asking internet companies to block links leading to the game.

Kerala will submit a request before the Centre to officially block the online social media game Blue Whale that psychologically overpowers its players and forces them to commit suicide.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the House, Amar Shankar Sable (BJP) said Manpreet, who allegedly committed sucide by jumping from a building, was playing 'Blue Whale' game for 50 days.

Blue Whale: The Supreme Court on Wednesday drew a parallel between the internet-based 'Blue Whale challenge' and the alleged indoctrination of young Hindu girls to convert to Islam while brushing aside objection to its decision for a probe by NIA into cases of alleged 'love jihad' in Kerala.

Anxious school authorities and parents' groups in Mumbai have started issuing advisories regarding Blue Whale, an online game that has reportedly been linked to hundreds of teen deaths across the world. Recently, a 14-year-old Andheri boy jumped from the terrace as the "final task" of the game.

Researchers have discovered fossil evidence of an ancient ocean mammal, Perucetus Colossus, that was much heavier than even the largest blue whale. The animal is estimated to have weighed between 85 and 320 tonnes, making it significantly heavier despite being shorter than a blue whale. These creatures roamed the deserts of Peru 30 million years ago, and their unique adaptations included denser bones that helped them float in shallow waters

The death of a 14-year-old student who apparently jumped off the terrace of the Andheri building in which he stayed has raised concerns over the popularity of a fatal online game called ‘The Blue Whale’.