16-year-old flees home as part of Blue Whale challenge, rescued in Mumbai

The boy from Jaipur said he was in the last stage of the game and might have committed suicide.

A 16-year-old Jaipur boy, who left home as part of the last stage of the notorious Blue Whale online challenge game, was rescued by the city police from Mumbai.

Blue Whale challenge calls on participants through social media to complete a dangerous self-harm challenge over a period of 50 days and allegedly encourages them to win the game by committing suicide. (File)

The boy, a class 10 student, left his home on Monday and reached Mumbai by train the next day.

He was tracked by the location of his mobile phone and was rescued from Mumbai’s Churchgate area on Friday night, Karni Vihar police station SHO Mahaveer Singh said.

“A knife was also recovered from his possession. He said he was in the last stage of the game and might have committed suicide,” Singh said, adding, the boy was handed over to his family members.

Blue Whale challenge, which targets teenagers and young children, calls on participants through social media to complete a dangerous self-harm challenge over a period of 50 days and allegedly encourages them to win the game by committing suicide. The tasks range from self-harming, watching scary movies to waking up at unusual hours.