3 Sisters - 12, 14, 16 - Jump Off 9th Floor In Likely Online Korean Gaming Task

Around 2.15 am early Wednesday, three sisters jumped from their ninth-floor apartment in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, after leaving a handwritten note that said, "Sorry, Papa". 

Pakhi (12), Prachi (14), and Vishika (16) were allegedly obsessed with an online Korean task-based game that is being linked to their suicide.

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In the dead of night, the sisters went to their balcony, bolted the door and jumped out of a window, one after the other. Their screams and the sound of the bodies hitting the ground were loud enough to wake their parents, neighbours and security guards at the apartment complex at Bharat City in Ghaziabad.

By the time the parents broke open the door to the balcony, it was too late.

"When we reached the scene, we confirmed that three girls, daughters of Chetan Kumar, had died after jumping from the building," said Atul Kumar Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Visuals this morning showed the bodies of the girls on the ground, their mother wailing in grief, and a crowd of neighbours in shock.

The sisters were addicted to a "Korean love game", so much in fact, that they did hardly anything else. They had reportedly stopped going to school two years ago.

Eight-Page Suicide Note

Investigations are focusing on their suicide note and a diary they cited in it.

"Is diary me jo kuch bhi likha hai woh sab padh lo kyuki ye sab sach hai (Read everything written in this diary because all of it is true.) Read now. I'm really sorry. Sorry, Papa," the note read. It was accompanied by a hand-drawn crying emoji. 

The eight-page note was written on the pages of a pocket diary, detailing their gaming and mobile activities.

Their father, Chetan Kumar, described what appears to be an extreme addiction to everything Korean.

They also had taken Korean names, according to their parents. The middle sister, Prachi, was their leader in everything and was believed to be the one taking the lead in the deadly game. Lately, their parents had restricted their mobile use.

"They said Papa sorry, Korea is our life, Korea is our biggest love, whatever you say, we cannot give it up," Chetan Kumar wept.

"This should not happen to any parent or child. Parents should not let their children play games. I was not aware of the game, or I would have never let them play it," said the shattered father.

Visuals from their home revealed more jottings on a wall in the girls' bedroom, like "I am very very alone" and "make me a hert of broken (sic)".

"The investigation so far has not revealed any specific game name. But it is clear that the girls were influenced by Korean culture and have mentioned it in the suicide note. For the past few days, they had been denied access to a mobile phone, a restriction that appeared to have affected them," said senior police officer Nimish Patel.

The sisters did everything together, including bathing and eating.

Their gaming addiction reportedly began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterwards, they became irregular in school and finally stopped going altogether.

According to the police, Chetan Kumar married two sisters and lives with both wives and their children, all daughters. Two of the girls who died were daughters of one wife and the third was their half-sister.

(With inputs from Pintu Tomar)