PUBG player goes missing from Ghaziabad, police investigation underway

According to a report, a 15-year-old PUBG player Abhinav has been missing from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh since March 11. Abhinav's father Rajesh Kumar Jayant describes his son as an extraordinary PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) player and suspects that Abhinav was brainwashed into leaving home.

Jayant recalls that Abhinav, a class X student, went to a local market in the evening of March 11, but Abhinav did not return home thereafter.

"When I reached home I enquired about Abhinav and soon started to look for him in the area. We did not find him at any of the local eateries that he used to frequent. Later, his scooterette was found abandoned near New Bus Stand," said Jayant.

According to the initial investigation done by police, Abhinav was chatting with someone on PUBG and his last messages said that he would carry on with the conversation using a different screen name. Police said further investigation is underway.

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However, this is not the first time Abhinav has left home. Jayant recalls that around two and a half years ago, Abhinav had boarded a train to go to Mumbai to meet the cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni after watching a biopic based on his life. However, Abhinav had returned home the next day from Faridabad.

But apparently, Jayant is not happy with the investigation of Ghaziabad police and he claims that police will find a clue of what Abhinav was up to if the police conduct a technical search on Abhinav's laptop. Abhinav was carrying Rs 10,000 - Rs 15,000 cash and his mother's mobile phone, which is now switched off.

READ | PUBG Mobile responds after Gujarat police arrested college students, says we are on Players' side

Of late, PUBG has been at the centre of controversy. Apart from situations caused due to its addiction, voices calling for a ban on the game are getting louder. So far, over 10 people including college student have been arrested in Gujarat after police imposed a ban on the game. All the arrests were made under the Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

PUBG Mobile said in its recent statement that the game is meant for entertainment and should be played in a "healthy and responsible manner." PUBG Mobile is working to introduce what it calls "a healthy game system" by restricting play time for under-aged players.