3 Minor Sisters Jump From Balcony: Korean Culture and Game Addiction
Three sisters in Ghaziabad allegedly died by suicide after becoming dangerously addicted to a 50-task online game, and police are now investigating the app behind it.
In a heartbreaking incident, three sisters allegedly died by suicide after becoming deeply addicted to a task-based online game in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
The sisters — 16-year-old Vishika, 14-year-old Prachi, and 12-year-old Pakhi — had been obsessed with the game since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Vishika was the daughter of their father’s first wife, while the two younger girls were from his second marriage. Despite this, the three were very close and did everything together.
Over time, they slowly disconnected from the real world. They stopped going to school regularly and avoided social contact. They even adopted Korean names and started believing they were Korean princesses who did not belong in India. According to family members, the game they were playing involved 50 different tasks. Prachi, the middle sister, reportedly acted as the leader and guided the other two.
Their father, a forex trader, believed they were playing harmless games at home and did not realise how serious the situation had become. However, their studies suffered badly. Vishika, despite being 16, was still in Class 4. The family was also facing financial stress.
Recently, their parents noticed the seriousness of the addiction and took away their mobile phones. This reportedly made the girls feel more isolated. One of them even wrote “I am very, very alone” on the bedroom wall.
On 4th February at around 12:30 am, the sisters entered the prayer room of their ninth-floor apartment in the Bharat City complex and locked the door from inside. Investigators believe they had completed the 49th task of the game two days earlier, and the 50th task allegedly involved ending their lives.
Inside the room, they left behind family photographs scattered on the floor and an eight-page diary written in Hindi and English. In the note, they asked their parents to read everything carefully, saying it was the truth. They also left a short apology note that read, “Mummy Papa sorry,” along with a drawing of a crying face.
At around 2 am, the sisters used a chair and a small ladder to reach the window and jumped one after another. The loud noise alerted neighbours. Their family tried to break open the locked door, but by the time they entered, the girls had already fallen.
They were rushed to a hospital in Loni but were declared dead on arrival.
Police have seized the girls’ mobile phones and are investigating whether someone was guiding them through an app or if they were following an automated online challenge. The father has urged all parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities and be careful about video game addiction to prevent such tragedies in the future.
