'He was an avid gamer, but didn't play Blue Whale Challenge'

The last picture Manpreet Sahans uploaded before jumping off his building's terrace. File pic

"Manpreet was not playing the deadly suicide game, the Blue Whale Challenge." This is the statement the Sahans family has given the Meghwadi police, who are investigating the death of the 14-year-old from Andheri East. He used to mostly play GTA on his PlayStation and went by the name 'Gamer' in the gaming world.

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An officer said, "They are all still in shock. We approached them on Thursday, and they told us that the boy used to play games on his PlayStation and online, denying that he had been involved in the Blue Whale Challenge.

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No behavioural changes
They also said he hadn't shown any signs of depression, that he didn't appear disturbed. His parents said there were no noticeable changes in his behaviour and he hadn't come to them to share any problems either."

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Active child
Yesterday, the police also approached the Andheri-based Bombay Cambridge School, where Manpreet used to study in Std IX, and spoke to his teachers and friends. They told officers that Manpreet was an active child and loved to play outdoor games and that there were never any signs to show that he was suicidal. Manpreet's friends also said that he had told them that he would not be coming to school on Monday, just a day before he allegedly jumped off his building.

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No evidence on Challenge
A police source said, "Investigation has revealed that Manpreet used to love to play video games and often asked his friends to join him in playing online games. But, apparently, there's no certainty that he had taken up the Blue Whale Challenge. He used to mostly play GTA on his PlayStation and went by the name 'Gamer' in the gaming world. He used to also play games on Facebook sometimes."

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"We are yet to receive the forensic analysis report of his cellphone from the Kalina Forensic Laboratory. Once that's out, we can get all the browsing data to ascertain whether the Blue Whale Challenge was the reason behind his death. As of now, no evidence has been found that he was on to it," the source added.

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The Meghwadi police have filed an accidental death report in the case.