Ghaziabad: 3 minor sisters die after jumping from high-rise; cops probe online gaming angle

Three minor sisters died after allegedly jumping from the balcony of a ninth-floor apartment in Ghaziabad in the early hours of Wednesday, with police probing whether addiction to an online game played a role in the incident, officials said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Shalimar Garden) Atul Kumar Singh said preliminary investigation suggests the girls were allegedly addicted to an online task-based interactive game, commonly referred to as a Korean “love game”, and their parents had been objecting to their excessive gaming.

Police received information around 2.15 am that three girls had jumped from the balcony of a ninth-floor flat in a tower of Bharat City, located under the Teela Mor police station limits in the Sahibabad area.

On reaching the spot, police found the three sisters — Nishika (16), Prachi (14) and Pakhi (12), daughters of Chetan Kumar — lying on the ground floor with critical injuries, the ACP said.

They were rushed by ambulance to a hospital in Loni, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.

According to police, the sisters had become heavily involved in online gaming during the COVID-19 period and were regularly playing the same game, often together.

“The three girls used to do everything together — from bathing, eating and sleeping to attending school,” the ACP said, adding that family members had expressed concern over the amount of time they spent gaming.

Police said the exact sequence of events and circumstances that led to the incident are still under investigation. Statements of family members and neighbours are being recorded, and electronic devices used by the girls are also being examined as part of the probe.

Officials said no suicide note has been recovered so far.

Further investigation is underway.