E-Paper
Ghaziabad girls, who jumped off 9th floor of building, ‘thought they were Korean princesses’
Ghaziabad triple suicide: Cops found notes revealing their belief that they were Korean princesses, influenced by the game.
Three sisters - 12, 14, and 16 years old - who died by suicide after jumping from the ninth floor of their residential building in Ghaziabad were heavily addicted to a Korean online task-based ‘love game’ and had begun imagining themselves as ‘Korean princesses’ under its influence, according to police officials.
The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday at a high-rise apartment complex in the Ghaziabad. The girls lived with their father, a forex trader, and their mothers. Police said the eldest girl was born to the father's first wife, while the two younger girls were from his second marriage.
Assistant Police Commissioner Atul Kumar Singh said preliminary findings suggest the sisters had developed an intense obsession with a Korean-themed online game during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, which significantly altered their behaviour, routines and self-perception.
Locked puja room, then fatal jump
According to police, the girls were with their mothers around 12.30 am before moving into the puja room and locking it from inside.
Investigators said they then used a chair to access a window and jumped one by one from the ninth floor.
“Residents and security guards heard a loud noise and raised an alarm. Family members also woke up. Police were informed and reached the spot. All three died on the spot. The bodies were sent for post-mortem,” Singh said.
Another police update placed the time closer to 2–2.15 am, adding that emergency teams rushed the girls to a hospital in Loni where they were declared brought dead.
Diary notes reveal fantasy identity world
During a search of the flat, police recovered a diary and a one-page note addressed to the parents that read: “Mummy, Papa sorry.”
Officials said the diary contains multiple notes, sketches and references linked to the game and the girls' inner world.
“They left behind a lot of notes saying sorry, along with a crying caricature. They were highly obsessed with the game and thought they were not Indians but Koreans. They portrayed themselves as Korean princesses under the influence of the game,” the ACP said.
Police described the app as an online, task-based “Korean love game” format, where players take on characters and complete missions. Investigators are working to identify the exact platform and nature of the tasks involved.
Addiction concerns flagged by family
Police said the family was aware of the girls’ excessive mobile phone use and gaming addiction and had tried to restrict access by taking their phones away at times. However, the sisters would manage to get them back.
Officials added that the three siblings functioned almost as a single unit in daily life. “They followed a common routine - bathing together, eating together, going to school together, sleeping together. Their diary details their lifestyle and their deep involvement with the game,” Singh said.
Investigators also noted that the eldest girl, despite being 16, was still studying in class 4 and that all three had reportedly been irregular in attending school.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).
