Boy commited suicide after being scolded by parents fro playing PUBG | Photo Credit: Representative Image

Key Highlights The boy allegedly jumped to his death in Bhakra canal, located nearly 500 metres away from his house His father told the police that since the imposition of the lockdown, he used to stay engrossed in the online video game for several hours in a day After being chided, he got filled with rage and left the house

Patiala: In an incident that highlights how online video gaming addiction has taken over the lives of teenagers has come to light from Punjab’s Patiala district where a boy allegedly committed suicide after his parents scolded him for regularly playing PUBG, an online multiplayer game, for several hours in a day. The boy allegedly jumped to his death in Bhakra canal, located nearly 500 metres from his house.

The deceased was identified as a 12-year-old resident of Bharat Nagar colony. He was a seventh-grade student in a private school. On Sunday, the police recovered his body from the Bhakra canal near Shutrana on the Nabha-Patiala road.

Family members scold boy for playing PUBG

Model town police station in-charge Ronnie Singh said that he was chided by his family members for playing PUBG for several hours in a day. His father told the police that since the imposition of the lockdown, he used to stay engrossed the online video game. On April 20, he got filled with rage after getting rebuked and left home at around 1:30. However, his family members found him and brought him back.

Boy goes missing

On the same day, he again left his house in the evening. The family members lodged a missing complaint with Model Town Police after they failed to trace him. The police immediately swung into action and began scanning footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area. A recording showed the boy marching towards the Bhakra canal. The investigating officials called a team of divers but they were unable to find the boy, according to a report of the Hindustan Times.

Deceased boy's body recovered from canal

On Sunday, the police were informed that a child’s body had been recovered from the canal near Shutrana. Police officials and the now-deceased boy’s family members rushed to the spot and ascertained the identity of the body. Based on the statements of the deceased boy’s family members, the police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).