THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid the reports of the worrying rise in demand of deadly online game ‘Blue Whale Challenge’, the state police on Saturday warned the public to advise their teenagers and children to refrain from getting addicted to it. The warning was issued by Kerala Police Hi-tech cell under the instructions of State Police Chief Loknath Behera. In a press statement, the police said, according to recent findings, the Blue Whale Challenge has affected not only children but also adults.
The game, reportedly created by a former convict in Russia, is said to psychologically provoke players to indulge in daring, self-destructive tasks for 50 days before finally taking the ‘winning’ step of killing themselves - and each deadly task must be filmed and shared as ‘proof’. After completion of each task, the players are also asked to make cuts on their forearms, which eventually trace out the shape of a blue whale. The term blue whale comes from the phenomenon of beached whales, which is linked to suicide.
Experts point out teenagers are more vulnerable because the virtual world allows them to act freely - without the restrictions prevalent in the real world - which may give them an adrenaline boost.
According to the police, several teenagers in the country as well as in the state are reportedly playing the game.
The parents are advised to keep a check on the smartphones and computers of their children and they are also told to remove it if they found the game installed. The DGP also said counselling will be provided to children found obsessed with such deadly games.
Behera: Loan sharks to face the heat
The state police have decided to intensify action against money lenders who charge exorbitant interest. State police chief Loknath Behera said here in a statement he has given instructions to set up special squads at the district-level to identify illegal money lenders and ‘blade mafia’. To be headed by the district crime branch DySP, the squad will comprise 8-10 woman police officers from the Woman Cell and Woman police station and four-five male officers. It will identify the money lenders in various districts and will take action on the basis on complaints received. Each squad will also try to create public awareness about the dangers involved in lending money from these unscrupulous operators, it said.