In another shocking incident from Punjab, Mohali-based 15-year-old boy has reportedly spent over Rs lakh on playing PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds) mobile game.
According to his uncle, the boy started to play the game in January this year. He used to spend his maximum time playing the online game. The teen was trained by one of his seniors from his school for making payment's through his grandfather's bank account and attaining expertise in the game.
His uncle also added that his nephew had misused the bank account of his grandfather, which was opened for his pension deposits. He made 30 payments in the past two months amounting to Rs55,000. The 15-year-old was making payments through a PayTM account, which he made on his grandfather’s name by using his personal documents.
The boy’s uncle, who runs a shop in Chandigarh, said they came to know about this on Friday when they checked the statement of boy’s grandfather’s bank account. After that, the boy agreed to have spent more than Rs 2 lakh on the game. He said he paid the amount to his senior, who is reportedly living in Zirakpur, for purchasing UC (Unknown Cash) to buy skins, crates, and other in-game items. UC can be bought through in-app purchases, a known feature within the game.
“We came to know that he had also purchased a special SIM card for the game. Earlier, when we used to find some cash missing from our wallets, we did not pay much heed to the boy,” said his uncle.
The family has also written a complainant to the Mohali SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal through an e-mail about the transactions of Rs55,000 and alleged that their child was being lured by his senior.
Dr. Nitin Gupta, a psychiatrist, who is counseling the boy, said: “The cases of the game and mobile addiction have arisen during the lockdown. Many kids are indulging in solitary activities rather than group activities which is also becoming a cause of mental fatigue. I appeal to the parents that they should supervise their children and involve them in group-based family activities.”