Madhya Pradesh govt orders FIR against online game firm after boy dies by suicide

The class 6 student spent and lost ₹40,000 in playing the game.

Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra informed on Monday that the state government has filed a police case against developers of online game Free Fire after a 13-year-old boy, who lost ₹40,000 in the game, died by suicide in Chhatarpur district.

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“A sad incident took place over the Free Fire Game in Chhatarpur. An FIR has been registered against the company which created this game. Superintendents of Police across the state have been directed to initiate action against developers of such addictive games as these are disorientating the younger generation and playing with their lives. We have sought advice from the legal department to initiate legal action against such companies,” Mishra told reporters.

Speaking on the issue, Rajesh Banjare, in-charge of Civil Lines police station in Chhatarpur, said an FIR under Section 305 (abetment to death by suicide of a child) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against developers of Free Fire. Banjare also noted that assistance of the cyber cell is being taken to zero in on monetary transactions in this case.

The tragic incident took place last Friday. Police recovered a suicide note, written allegedly by the class 6 student, in which he apologised to his parents for spending ₹40,000 from his mother’s account while playing Free Fire. According to Sachin Sharma, Chhatarpur’s Superintendent of Police (SP), the boy’s father runs a pathology lab, while his mother works at the pathology department of the district hospital. On the day of the incident, she received a message, while on duty, informing her of transaction of ₹1500 from her account and, later, reprimanded her son for spending money on the game.

The Chhatarpur Police are investigating whether the boy spent the money himself or did so as someone was threatening him.

(With PTI inputs)