Kochi: The residents in Kochi’s Njarackal remains in shock following the tragic death of a teenage boy who reportedly ended his life by jumping into the sea. While the incident was initially viewed as an isolated tragedy, the investigation has taken a significant turn as the Njarackal police suspect the boy may have been the victim of a lethal “online game task”.

​The victim, a 16-year-old boy named Arjun Kumar, son of Ajith Kumar and Sheeja of Perumbilly in Njarackal, was found dead on Friday evening after a search operation was launched when he failed to return home.

His body washed ashore near Elamkunnapuzha beach a day after he went missing on Thursday. “The boy was at home and went to play football on a turf near his house around 3pm, but never returned. A missing case was later filed. However, on Friday his body washed ashore,” said a police officer.

According to preliminary reports, the boy had jumped into the sea. “We have found him walking along towards the sea in a few CCTV cameras. So, prima facie it is a case of suicide and so far nothing suspicious has been found,” said the police.

However, while collecting the statements from the family, the relatives said that the boy was reportedly into online gaming and was addicted to it. The police found that the adolescent had become increasingly isolated, spending a significant portion of his day and late nights on his mobile phone. So the police suspect that him jumping to the sea was an act now believed to be a calculated “mission” assigned through the gaming platform. ​So the police have intensified their probe into the boy’s digital footprint.

“We are not ruling out any angles now. His phone was retrieved along with the body. But it is fully damaged due to exposure to sea water. So we are trying to recover the data from it. His post-mortem has been completed. We are waiting for a detailed medical report too,” said police sources.

​The police are looking into all possibilities, including whether the victim was part of a closed gaming group where members are coerced into performing self-harm. The incident has once again sparked debate over so-called ‘killer online games’ in Kerala.