Ghaziabad Triple Suicide: Father under 2 crore debt, sold phones of sisters addicted to Korean Game, threatened them with marriage

The Ghaziabad police investigation has revealed that the three minor sisters who jumped to their deaths from a ninth-floor flat were under immense pressure due to their family's severe financial crisis. The girls' father, Chetan Kumar, a stock trader, who has two wives — the second being his first wife’s sister, was burdened with a debt of around Rs 2 crore, which had forced him to sell their mobile phones to clear pending electricity dues and had threatened to marry the girls off.

Chetan Kumar had also stopped allowing his daughters to use his mobile phone, which may have distressed them further. The girls, aged 11, 14, and 16, were deeply influenced by Korean dramas and had been spending significant time on their mobile phones. The family's economic situation had worsened to the extent that the girls had not been sent back to school even after the Covid-19 pandemic subsided.

“He did not send the girls to school even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. The reason for this was the huge debt burden. He never bothered to send the children to school again,” a police official was quoted by NDTV as saying.

What exactly happened?

The tragedy unfolded in the early hours of Wednesday when the three sisters allegedly jumped from the balcony of their ninth-floor apartment in the Sahibabad area. They were rushed to a nearby hospital in Loni, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. The police received information around 2.15 am that three girls had jumped from the balcony of their apartment in Bharat City under the Teela Mor police station limits.

Investigators recovered a diary containing a handwritten message that read, "Sorry papa, I am really sorry," along with a crying-face emoji. The note also urged readers to go through everything written in the diary. Police said that after the room used by the three girls was broken open, officers also found a scribbled note and several photographs strewn across the floor, which were seized as part of the investigation.

Korean culture influence

Police officers said the minors were influenced by Korean culture and had been spending significant time on their mobile phones. Deputy Commissioner of Police Nimish Patil told news agency ANI that a suicide note recovered from the residence suggested such influence, adding, "From the suicide note, it is clear that the three girls were influenced by Korean culture. No particular app was named."

Assistant Commissioner of Police Atul Kumar Singh told news agency PTI that the sisters were addicted to a Korean task-based interactive "love game" and that recent restrictions imposed by their parents may have distressed them.

Father's statement

Soon after the incident, Kumar said his daughters had been playing the game for two-and-a-half to three years and often spoke about wanting to go to Korea. "They often said they wanted to go to Korea. I did not know that this game involved such tasks. I came to know about all this only after the police forensic team examined their mobile phones," he said. "If I had known that such tasks existed, no father would ever allow his children to be part of it," Kumar added.

Investigation underway

Uttar Pradesh's police chief told PTI that the case was being examined in detail and highlighted the importance of cyber awareness, saying people could approach local police stations for help related to online addiction