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MUMBAI: Even as the Blue Whale Challenge continues to make headlines, the directorate of forensic science laboratories (DFSL) in Kalina is preparing guidelines for the police on how to identify whether a case of suicide is a result of the online game or not. On July 30, a teenaged school goer had jumped to his death from the terrace of his Andheri east building, sparking off speculations that he may have fallen prey to the online suicide game. But the police could find no conclusive proof of the boy having played the game at all.
The Blue Whale Challenge has spawned several duplicates and it may not be possible to block them all. "Police station personnel are not aware of what the game is about. The guidelines will make them familiar about the 50 tasks to be performed that end with suicide. While probing a case of suicide, the investigator will first have to ascertain whether the victim was involved in these tasks (such as cutting and poking himself with sharp objects) from the nature of injuries suffered. Then, the investigator needs to probe if the victim had been waking up very early as certain tasks have to be performed before daybreak," said a senior official with the DFSL. The investigator would have to look out for tattoos or images carved on the body (the most common image carved would be that of a whale).
"The police need to contact the victim's internet service provider and go through his web history to look for suspicious links. This needs to be done as the victim would have erased the web history on his phone browser in most cases. It's key to find out how many social media accounts did the victim operate, where and what did he use them for," said the official. The game used to be played on a popular Russian social networking site. Survivors of the Blue Whale Challenge have told investigators abroad that they had clicked on the link to a scary picture, which led them to another such picture and finally to a group where tasks for the game were given out. Net users have been trying to reach out to the curator of the game using hashtags on Twitter. Searching for the game has led children to the dark web where curators operate, officials said. It's also important to check if the victim operated an online payment account or operated an e-wallet and whether money was transferred to a suspicious entity.
DFSL officials are also planning to contact Kerala police where a suicide case, suspected to be a result of Blue Whale Challenge, has been reported. Forensic officials are seeking information on what have investigators from Kerala found on the victim's gadgets and social media accounts. Maharashtra's cyber police have been engaged in prevention as well as creating awareness.
"It's a primary responsibility of parents first and then of schools to find out if the child is engaged in self harming behaviour. Families need to have a frank discussion with kids. Parents need to check what the child does online, how many social media accounts does he operate and whom does he speak to. Parents also need to be touch with the child's peers as they would be aware if the child has been hurting himself," said special Inspector General of police, cybercrime, Brijesh Singh. "Schools should encourage students to report such cases assuring confidentiality."
