MUMBAI, INDIA — A twisted internet game that has allegedly provoked more than 130 teen suicides around the world has just taken one more, believed to be the first such case in India.
The Blue Whale Challenge, believed to have originated in Russia in 2015, consists of 50 tasks that must be completed within 50 days.
The tasks range from waking up at odd hours, to watching graphic videos and self-mutilation, according to Indian news channel ABP News.
Challengers must take a photo to prove each task has been completed, and then send them to the game's nefarious administrators in order to advance to the next challenge.
In addition, each completed task results in a cut that eventually takes the form of a blue whale.
On July 29, Manpreet Sahans, 14, was seen jumping off the 7th floor of his building terrace to complete the final challenge, India Today reported. Sahans took a photograph just before he died, which read: "Soon the only thing you would be left with is a picture of me."
The game's creator, Philipp Budeikin, 22, has been jailed for three years for masterminding the challenge as a means of "cleansing society" of "biological waste."
In the U.S., the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted at 116 123. In Australia, the number for Lifeline is 13 11 14.
