MOMO challenge: Another suicidal viral game on social media

Odisha : After Blue Whale challenge, another suicidal game is taking over the social media is MOMO challenge. Reports of students becoming victim of the trap have also started coming in with S Chetan Kumar, a resident of Rourkela Railway colony, being the latest one.

According to a news report, he followed the instructions of an unknown Whatsapp Admin. On August 20, he travelled to Chennai from Bhubaneswar and then jumped off the 6th floor of Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

His brother held hostel authorities as responsible for his death, saying 'how they can be so ignorant over a boy missing from the campus'. However, college authorities have claimed that the boy had taken permission from them to go home.

"When a boy says that he needs to go home, how can we stop him?" said a college official.

What is MOMO CHALLENGE?

Made on similar lines of Blue Whale Challenge, it lures players into a series of violent acts, ending with a task that dares you to commit suicide. 

Speaking about the game, Information Technology expert, Sudhir Mishra said, “When you enter such a platform you are asked to start a conversation with an unknown person. Subsequently, you will be asked to do tasks that will harm you physically and ultimately ask you to end your life.”

ADVISORY ISSUED

Soon after the death incident was reported, Odisha Police has issued an advisory on MOMO challenge and asked everyone to delete the unknown link that comes through WhatsApp messaging platform.

"It should be deleted immediately. Unknown number invitation through Whatsapp may be avoided. If some unknown number is asking for playing the game simply block that number," the advisory read.