Law enforcement agencies probing alleged killing under PUBG addiction: MoS

Citing a media report stating that 'a child has killed his mother under the influence of PUBG', Union Minister of Sate for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that law enforcement agencies are investigating to find the reason behind the same.

There are reports and grievances of banned apps appearing in new avatars using similar-sounding names have been forwarded to the home ministry for examination, said the minister on Friday in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Chandrasekhar while responding to a query on whether crimes are being committed on influence of PUBG, further told the upper house that gaming app PUBG was banned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) in 2020 and is not available in the country.

Chandrasekhar in a written reply said that there was a media report that a child has killed his mother based on PUBG that he has been playing which is a matter of investigation by LEAs (Law Enforcement Agencies) to find the reason. But, the PUBG gaming app was blocked by MeitY in the year 2020 and the PUBG game is not available in India since then, he added.

The minister was referring to the case where a 16-year-old boy addicted to playing the online game PUBG has allegedly shot dead his mother for stopping him and kept her body hidden in their house for two days. He even threatened and locked his younger sister to ensure no one informed the police.

For two days to hide the crime he not only threatened his sister but also used a room freshener to hide the smell of the decomposed body. It was only when the foul smell from the decomposed body became unbearable he informed his father, Army personnel posted in West Bengal. He is now in police custody and the murder weapon has been recovered.

The minister said that MEITY has received various reports and grievances conveying that apps that were blocked are appearing with new avatars by using similar sounding names or rebranded with the same functionality, adding that all such reports have been forwarded to the home ministry for examination.

Chandrasekhar said the government's objectives are aimed at ensuring an open, safe, trusted and accountable internet for its users, while responding to a question on the government order to remove mobile applications and reason for removing apps from 2020.

He said the government has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, in a separate written reply.

The minister also stated that the rules provide for removal of apps, if they are considered unlawful under the extant law, through playstore or appstore as and when requested by an appropriate government or its authorised agency, adding that MEITY does not keep any details of removal of mobile applications under IT Rules, 2021.