Police say probing ‘Blue Whale’ link to teen suicide bid

New Delhi : Days after a 16-year-old boy jumped off the fourth floor of a building in northwest Delhi’s Ashok Vihar, police are investigating whether this is Delhi’s first case of ‘Blue Whale Challenge‘ and have taken his phone into their possession. With the teenager being treated at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and unable to give a statement, police haven’t been able to rule out any connection to the challenge. DCP (northwest) Milind Dumbere maintained that “nothing about the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ has come out as of now”. “We have taken the boy’s mobile phone for investigation. The handset is password protected and we are trying to unlock it,” he said. Dumbere added, “The boy was upset as he had changed schools in March and was trying to adjust to the new environment. We are looking into every angle.” The incident took place on August 16 when the boy went to the terrace and jumped off the four-storey building at his east Delhi residence, police said. A security guard saw him lying on the ground and informed his mother, who was at home. They rushed him to a nearby hospital, from where he was shifted to Fortis Hospital. “We have recorded statements of eyewitnesses who saw him jumping off the building. Before he jumped, he left his mobile phone, spectacles and his bathroom slippers,” an officer said. His neighbour and friend Sanjam (18) said the suicide attempt left everyone shocked. “He used to regularly play with us, but for the past few days he had not been coming out of the house,” he said. According to a doctor, the boy had to undergo surgery as he sustained severe head injuries. He is still critical and has been kept under observation, the doctor added.