They kept saying, ‘we want to go to Korea’, says father after Ghaziabad sisters’ death

Three minor sisters lost their lives after allegedly jumping from the balcony of their ninth-floor apartment in Ghaziabad in the early hours of Wednesday, triggering a detailed police investigation into mobile phone addiction and the possible influence of a Korean task-based online game.

The incident took place around 2.15 am at Bharat City, under the jurisdiction of the Teela Mor police station in Sahibabad. Police said the girls , Nishika (16), Prachi (14) and Pakhi (12), daughters of Chetan Kumar — fell from the balcony of their flat to the ground floor, sustaining fatal injuries.

They were immediately taken to a hospital in Loni by ambulance, where doctors declared them brought dead.

The father of the deceased girls claimed that his daughters had been deeply involved in a Korean interactive “love game” that assigned tasks, and that they had acted under its influence after family members restricted their mobile phone usage.

“They were my daughters. They were following tasks from the game and then jumped. They kept saying, 'We want to go to Korea'... they locked the room when other members were sleeping and jumped from the balcony. I had no idea about this game else which parent would ever allow this? They used to say Prachi is the boss, and the others would follow her orders, "said the father of the girls.,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Nimish Patil said investigators found that the sisters spent long hours consuming Korean digital content and using mobile phones.

“Family members had restricted their mobile phone usage for the past few days, which left them distressed and may have triggered the decision (to take the extreme step),,” he said.

According to the police, the sisters had developed a habit of playing online games during the COVID-19 period and were often engaged in the Korean game together. Their schooling had suffered significantly, with officials stating that the girls had not attended school for the past two years and had struggled academically even before that.

DCP Patil said it is still not clear when the addiction to mobile phones and online gaming began, adding that the investigation is at an early stage.

Police further said the family has five children — four daughters and one son — and that the father has two marriages. All family members were residing together at the time of the incident, which occurred late at night while others were asleep.

During the investigation, police recovered a diary belonging to the girls that reportedly contains material linked to the incident. A note inside read, “Read everything written in this diary, it is all here," accompanied by a crying-face emoji and a handwritten message saying, "Sorry papa, I am really sorry,” along with a crying-face emoji and a handwritten apology that said, “Sorry papa, I am really sorry.”

Police said statements of family members are being recorded and all possible angles are being examined to determine the circumstances that led to the tragic incident.