Actress Kirti Kulhari says it's great to play fun games, but if they put people at risk, stay away from them. Her message has come days after The Blue Whale internet game reportedly claimed the life of a teenager here.
In a video that she shared with IANS on Friday, she said: "This video is going out to all the kids out there. I recently read some article about this very strange and dangerous online game. I urge you to stay away from this kind of temptation on social media."
"Please choose wisely and maturely from the options that you have. It's great to play games which are fun and make you enjoy, but the moment it puts you or anybody around you at risk, just know it's not the right thing."
As far as bravery and courage are concerned, the "Indu Sarkar" said, "trust me, life will give you enough opportunities to show that. So save it for that. Don't waste it on these stupid games".
A 14-year old schoolboy Manpreet Singh Sahani allegedly walked off the fifth floor of his building in Shere-e-Punjab Colony in Andheri East on July 30 evening.
The student, prior to his death leap, texted a friend of his intentions: "I am going to the building to jump." Before anybody could rush to help him, he had already jumped off.
His friends claim that he was playing the 50-day 'dare challenge' of The Blue Whale.
LACK OF EVIDENCE STALLS MUMBAI BLUE WHALE SUICIDE PROBE
The boy, Manpreet Singh Sahani, was to be a player of The Blue Whale, a game that puts players through a series of 50 'quests'. The final task asks them to jump off a building and kill themselves.
Mumbai Police is yet to officially confirm the exact cause behind the episode but have said that they are investigating all angles. The probe, however, has been hamstrung by a lack of statements from Manpreet's friends and social media posts from the boy's mobile phone disappearing.
Investigators have sent the phone and Manpreet's other electronic gadgets to the state forensic laboratory to collect other possible evidence, recover the junked posts and find out who may have deleted the postings.
Police officials have also recorded the statements of Manpreet's parents, but sources say that it hasn't really helped the cops uncover any leads.
The most promising lead right now is one of Manpreet's close friends with whom the 14-year-old had a conversation related to suicide. Cops are counseling the friend, Manpreet's classmate, in order to get him to talk about the nature of his conversations with Manpreet.
Apart from this one friend, cops believe that there a few other classmates who may have known about Manpreet's intentions. However, police officials have faced problems talking to other friends. Some are too scared to give a statement, while parents of a few others have refused to get their children involved in the matter.
