Additional Commissioners of Police, Alok Priyadarshi and Keshav Kumar Choudhary conduct a site inspection after three minor sisters allegedly jumped off the balcony of a ninth-floor flat and died, in Ghaziabad, Wednesday (February 4). Photo: PTI
Ghaziabad police to trace sisters’ phones to probe online gaming link
Investigating officers obtained IMEI numbers to retrieve data and verify if the three minors were influenced by task-based games or Korean culture apps
In a new development in the Ghaziabad sisters’ suicide case, police have received the IMEI numbers of the phones they were using and later sold by their father. The investigating officers will now retrieve data and verify if the girls were playing any task-based online game.
The girls' father and his wife were questioned for nearly two hours on Thursday (February 5) as police recreated the sequence of events as part of the investigation, they said.
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The minor girls aged 16, 14 and 12 jumped to their deaths from the ninth floor of their residential tower in Bharat City Society under the Trans-Hindon police jurisdiction earlier this week.
Gaming obsession
Police have maintained that the case is being treated as a suicide, and the probe is focused on verifying the father's claims regarding alleged online gaming obsession and examining all related aspects, including family circumstances.
Preliminary findings, which include a nine-page pocket diary recovered from the room of the sisters on Thursday, point to intense attachment to Korean culture and alleged family discord.
Also read: Ghaziabad suicides: Love for Korean culture, beatings from father mentioned in girls’ diary
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Trans-Hindon) Nimish Patil said a mobile phone was purchased by the girls' father, Chetan Kumar, for the eldest girl around three months ago, and another for the second daughter around 15 days ago.
"After noticing their growing obsession with Korean culture, the father confiscated both phones and sold them. We have obtained the IMEI numbers of the devices.
"Our first step will be to trace the buyers and recover the phones, after which we will retrieve data from them to verify what kind of online games or applications were being used," the DCP told PTI.
No evidence yet
Police have so far not found any evidence confirming the use of a Korean task-based application.
Officials said they are also examining the family's financial background, including alleged property dealings and debts, to understand the broader circumstances leading up to the incident.
When contacted by PTI on Friday morning, Station House Officer of Teela Mod police station, Ravi Baliyan, said the family would be contacted again if required and that the questioning was not over.
Korean culture influence
In his interaction with the media at his residence, Kumar said his daughters were deeply influenced by Korean culture and used to play task-based online games late into the night, sometimes from midnight till 5 am. He claimed the girls had changed their names to Korean ones and were in contact with Korean friends online.
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He admitted that initially, he had taken their activities lightly. Kumar also urged the government, through the media, to ban such online gaming applications to protect the younger generation and Indian culture.
According to the postmortem report, the girls suffered severe head injuries. Their ribs were fractured and internal organs damaged due to the fall, police sources said.
Investigators said Kumar had moved to Ghaziabad in 2010 after his marriage, leaving behind his ancestral village of Khajuri Khas in Delhi, where an undivided ancestral property is located.
The three sisters were cremated at Delhi's Nigam Bodh Ghat on Wednesday evening.
(With agency inputs)
(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)