Bhubaneswar: A 13-year-old boy allegedly died by suicide at his home in Guhalipada village under Singla police station limits in Balasore district on Tuesday, reportedly due to addiction to an online game.
The deceased was identified as Santosh Kumar Jena, a Class VIII student.
According to reports, Santosh was addicted to playing the online game ‘Free Fire MAX’ and would often spend hours on it after school. Despite repeated warnings from his parents, he continued to play in secret, leading to frequent family disputes. His parents had recently barred him from playing the game.
On Tuesday morning, Santosh allegedly hanged himself in the bathroom of his house using a cotton towel tied to an iron pipe. When he was not found for a long time, family members searched the house and discovered his body.
On being informed, Singla police reached the spot, seized the body, registered a case of unnatural death, and sent it to the Basta Community Health Centre (CHC) for post-mortem. The body was later handed over to the family after completion of the autopsy.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the village.
