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15-year-old Mumbai girl dies by suicide after being scolded for excessive mobile use
An official from the Ambernath police station confirmed that a case of accidental death was registered.
A 15-year-old girl in Maharashtra allegedly died by suicide after being scolded for excessive mobile usage. Police said that the girl consumed poison after her mother asked her to reduce the time she spent on the mobile phone.
The girl, the resident of the Ambernath area in Maharashtra's Thane, consumed a rat poison on September 26. She was then rushed to a local hospital.
As her condition deteriorated and became critical, she was shifted to a hospital in neighbouring Mumbai where she died on October 2, an official from Ambernath police station said.
An official from the Ambernath police station confirmed that a case of accidental death was registered on Saturday, based on the findings of the medical report.
Incident timeline
- September 26: The 15-year-old girl consumed rat poison after being scolded by her mother.
- September 26: Rushed to a local hospital due to severe health complications.
- October 2: Shifted to a hospital in Mumbai, where she succumbed to her injuries.
- October 12: Police registered a case of accidental death based on the medical report.
Mental health and mobile usage
The tragic event highlights the growing issues surrounding youth mental health and the heavy influence of mobile phones.
Last month, three boys allegedly stabbed their 16-year-old friend to death in Delhi after the latter refused to give them a "treat" for getting a new smartphone. The victim and the three boys were students of Class 9.
"The group demanded a party or a treat to celebrate the purchase but Sachin refused. An argument ensued, leading to the stabbing," a police official said.
In a similar incident, a 16-year-old boy who was addicted to playing video games died by suicide last year after his father took away his smartphone. He had a heated argument with his father after he was told to stop playing games on his smartphone and focus on his studies. Police officers said his father then took away his cell phone as he was playing games constantly and asked him to go to bed.
The boy was very upset. When the family woke up the next day, they found the boy hanging from a hook in the kitchen with a dupatta.
(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).)
