BALASORE: A 17-year-old youth of Balasore’s Soro area allegedly ended his life after losing an online game here on Friday. The deceased from Arada village in Kuchikoili GP under Bahanaga block was a Plus II second-year student. His father told mediapersons that his son had locked himself up in his room after returning from college in the afternoon. Later in the night, his mother called him for dinner but the boy did not respond.
When there was no reply from the boy despite several attempts, his mother informed the matter to the father. Later on, peeping through the window, they found the boy hanging from the ceiling fan. He called neighbours to break open the door and immediately brought his son down. They rushed him to the Soro Community Health Centre where doctors declared him brought dead.
The deceased’s father said his son had bought a 5G mobile phone a few months back and was addicted to playing online games. “I frequently advised him to focus on studies instead of wasting time on online games but he never paid heed. Either he lost in the online game or was suffering from depression and hence might have taken the extreme step,” he added.
Meanwhile, police have seized the body and the boy’s mobile phone to conduct a probe. Soro IIC Prabhanshu Sekhar Mishra said the boy’s body was handed over to his family after the postmortem. “A case has been registered,” he added.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. In case you feel distressed by the content or know someone in distress, call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7)