india

Updated: Jul 20, 2019 09:19 IST

A 20-year-old second year BCom student allegedly hanged himself in Lonikand while trying to complete a task in a Blue Whale-like online game, police said Friday.

The police identified the youngster as Diwakar Malia residing in Lonikand.

“Before hanging himself on Wednesday evening, he left a note which said ‘the black panther which was in the cage is free now and he is no longer in any kind of restrictions. The End’,” the official informed.

The official said the message was possibly alluding to his task in the online game, with Mali referring to himself as “black panther”.

The handwritten note, in Marathi and English, has a drawing of a black panther along with a line which read “sun will shine again”, the police official added.

Police inspector D S Hake of Lonikand police station said that the family came to know about the incident after he did not respond to their calls.

“He studied at BJS College and spent hours on the smartphone, a fact confirmed by his family members.

“We have recovered the mobile, but it is locked as the deceased used his thumb impression to gain access. Our investigations reveal that the boy died while playing the Blue Whale game ,” Hake said.

Mali’s mother, confirming his mobile phone addiction, said, “I appeal to all parents to put restrictions on their children’s phone usage.

“I lost my son, but parents should pay attention to their children,” she said.

(With inputs from PTI )