Teen Kills Self As His Siblings Didn't Give Him Mobile Phone To Play Games

A 13-year-old boy was found hanging from a window grill after a fight with his siblings over a mobile phone. The incident was reported from the Indian state of Kerala.

The child's body was discovered Monday by his grandmother, who lived in a nearby building. The teen's parents, Manoj and Niji, were not at home when the boy took the extreme step, reported The Times Of India.

Police said the boy, identified as Adithyan, was with his brother Aswin and sister Ananya when the tragedy occurred. An altercation broke out between the siblings over a mobile phone that was gifted to them by their parents to attend online classes. Adithyan wanted to play games on the phone, but his siblings refused to hand it over to him. Upset over this, Adithyan went inside his room and locked himself up.

Hours later, the childrens' grandmother came to the house to check on them. When she asked about Adithyan, his siblings told her that their brother was upset and had locked himself up in the room. The children said Adithyan didn't come out even though they knocked on the door several times.

The elderly woman felt suspicious and knocked on the door again. After getting no response, she peeped through the window and found the child hanging from the grill. She immediately alerted neighbors and with their help, rushed the boy to a nearby health center. But the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Adithyan's body was later moved to the mortuary of a nearby hospital for a COVID-19 test.

The number of suicides was reportedly on the rise during COVID-induced lockdown in India. According to experts, emotional trauma, study-related pressure and other societal issues are driving children to suicide.

A similar case was reported in India last year when a 14-year-old boy killed himself after his parents took away his mobile phone. He was reportedly addicted to games and would spend hours on his phone. Disturbed to see his addiction, his parents took away his mobile phone, leaving the boy upset. The teen then locked himself up in a room. When he failed to come out, his parents checked on him and found him hanging from the ceiling fan.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.