Ban sought on PUBG after teen guns down mother, siblings

Repeated defeats increased my stress and I fired shots thinking everyone will come back to life, says the suspect

LAHORE:

The Punjab Police on Friday took into custody an 18-year-old "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) addict" after he allegedly shot dead his mother, sister and brother in their sleep a few days ago.

The police officials claimed that the teenager had taken the extreme step after being addicted to playing the online game. The suspect got depressed by repeatedly losing in the online game and being scolded by his mother for excessive indulgence.

“Repeated defeats in the game (PUBG) increased my stress and I fired shots thinking that everyone will come back to life like in the game,” the suspect confessed before the police.

During the preliminary investigation, the evidence came forth before the police that the suspect lived in complete isolation in his room and was addicted to the PUBG game.

Read more: Karachi woman ‘raped’ after being lured by PUBG partner in Lahore

Ali was introduced to the game during his stay at a hostel. It captured his mind so completely that he started living an imaginary "dual life". Under influence of the game, on January 19, he shot dead his mother, two sisters and an elder brother.

After committing the heinous act, the alleged killer came out of the house and hid the pistol. He was taken into custody right after the incident but was later released after a few hours of interrogation to attend his family members’ funeral. He went to Jaranwala to offer the prayers but did not return.

The spokesperson said that further investigation into all aspects of the incident was under way. He further said that PUBG is very dangerous for the mental development of the youth as the players accustomed to the game get involved in violent activities to complete the task.

He also requested the parents to monitor their children and prevent them from engaging in any negative activity.

In the last two years, they said, many incidents have been reported in which children and youngsters obsessed with the game had shown tendencies of self-harm as well as violence.

Also read: ‘Gaming addict’ kills two relatives, friend

Last year, a man reportedly influenced by PUBG and Ice (drugs) had shot dead several members of his family in Nawan Kot. The officer said that police were taking this aspect into account also.

Suicide cases of youth had also been reported for playing PUBG in the provincial capital. In August 2020, a 16-year-old from Ichra had committed suicide after being stopped by the family from playing the online game.

In June the same year, a 20-year-old boy had claimed his own life in North Cantonment. During the period, a 16-year-old committed suicide in Wafaqi Colony.

The Lahore Police have now written to the higher authorities to ban PUBG. Earlier, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had banned the game but it was later lifted.

“The decision [to propose a ban on PUBG] has been taken so that the younger generation could be protected from their (online games’) harmful effects,” a spokesperson for Punjab Police said in a statement.