Momo Game Challenge: New internet challenge claiming lives across the country

Two more persons have lost their lives by allegedly committing suicide in north Bengal after receiving invitations to join online killer game ‘Momo Challenge’. Reports have left the state administration alarmed which has led to them taking precautionary steps to combat the threat it poses to lives.

Reports in the PTI quoted an official as saying, “Besides sending directives to police stations in the districts, the administration has also asked educational institutes to keep a tab on the behavioural pattern of students. It (Momo challenge) is growing everyday. After the Blue Whale challenge, now we are facing this killer Momo Game Challenge. Links of this ‘game’ is getting circulated mostly through WhatsApp. We have alerted officials in the district to keep a tab on this matter.”

“The killer ‘game’ features a creepy image of a girl with distorted face and eyes bulging out called the Mother Bird by Link Factory”, he added.

Previously, the Momo Challenge has allegedly claimed lives of two persons at Kurseong in Darjeeling district identified as 18-year-old Manish Sarki, on August 20 and 26-year-old Aditi Goyal, the next day.

Police are inspecting a connection to these deaths being the online killer game that provoked the two to take the final step..”It is a growing menace and we are getting reports of an increasing number of people, mostly youths, getting invitation on their WhatsApp from unidentified numbers to play the ‘game’,” the official said.

“Preliminary investigation has revealed that people who have shown the slightest of sign of depression or a desire to commit suicide were targeted,” he added.

“On August 21, Jalpaiguri resident Kabita Rai received an invitation to “play” the “death game”, following which she had lodged a police complaint,” the official said. He also said that a college student from the district was detained following the complaint.

The official said, “Till date, most of the complaints were reported from Jalpaiguri, Kurseong, West Midnapore districts, and it was only last week that one was reported from Kolkata.”

“We have sought help from cyber experts on how to tackle the menace. A list of dos and don’ts have been shortlisted and sent for distribution in all districts to create awareness among people.  Once an invitation to play the killer game is received, people should immediately inform local police station. Parents in the northern districts as well as in other parts of the state are scared about the ‘Momo Challenge’. We want them to be alert and to keep an eye on what their wards are doing while being online through their mobile phones. They should be stopped from playing any sort of game which has a possibility to lead them to the ‘Momo Game Challenge’. Educational institutes in all districts have been sent special requests to keep an eye on the students,” the official concluded.

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