Teenager leaves home to finish 'Blue Whale' challenge; rescued

PUNE: A 14-year-old boy from Solapur, who was on his way to Pune to complete a task given to him in the online game 'Blue Whale Challenge', was rescued by the police. The district police yesterday intercepted a Pune-bound state transport bus in which the teenager was travelling, near Bhigwan on an information given by their Solapur counterparts. "As soon as we were informed by our counterparts in Solapur, we intercepted the bus and rescued the boy, who was on his way to complete a task given by the Blue Whale Challenge game," a Bhigwan police station officer said. He said the boy appeared "lost" and was silent when the police took him with them. "The boy's businessman father came to the police station and took him home," the officer said. According to him, the class IX student was addicted to the game, where a player is given different tasks by his handlers. "After the boy went missing, his parents started inquiring with his friends when they came to know that he was playing the 'Blue Whale Challenge'," the official said. The online game, which originated in Russia, starts by asking participants via social media to take self-harming tasks. A 14-year-old boy from Mumbai had recently ended his life by jumping off a building and the police are probing if the incident was linked to the Blue Whale suicide challenge.