PESHAWAR:
Blue whales don’t usually bite, but an eponymous game has begun hurting young people in Pakistan. Reports from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) suggest that people are playing the notorious suicide game, ‘Blue Whale Challenge’, and falling into its dangerous trap.

Dr Imran Khan, a psychiatrist at Peshawar’s Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), told The Express Tribune that two young men from Mardan between the ages of 19 and 21 have approached him for treatment after suffering from depression while trying to complete the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’.

According to Dr Khan, the young men on Russian imageboards had opted to not read long English passages and play the game but as the ‘challenge’ progressed, the tasks became increasingly bizarre such as being asked to carve a whale into their arm, which prompted them to stop and seek medical help.

The so-called game is not openly available for download on the Google, Windows or Apple app stores, said IT expert Kashif Ali.

According to him, suspicious links are shared in WhatsApp groups or other private social media groups. “Whoever clicks on the link, the game gets downloaded on their device and if they log in, their phone data gets hacked by the game administrator,” he said.

Sickening “Blue Whale” groups have been reported in a number of countries including Russia, Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, Britain and France. Recently, reports have also surfaced from India where a teenage player tried to kill herself twice to complete the ‘challenge’.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1505384/blue-whale-challenge-strikes-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-victims-reported/