FIA probes kidnapping by teenagers playing ‘blue whale-inspired game’

By
GEO NEWS
|

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing has summoned today teenagers arrested on suspicion of playing the Blue Whale challenge.

The parents of the suspects have also been summoned.

The agency's Cyber Crime Wing Deputy Director Shahid Hassan on Thursday, however, said that the teenagers were playing a different game called ‘Snapshot’. The game revolves around users challenging each other to different tasks and setting bets.

He said that the teenagers had challenged their friend to rescue himself after tying him up.

As part of the game, the teenagers had tied the hands and feet of their friend, H*, taped his mouth shut and released their video on a social networking site. H was then put in the trunk of a car and tasked with freeing himself and getting out.

The initial investigation revealed that 14-year-old S*, took his mother's phone, made the video of the ‘kidnapping’ and uploaded it on social media.

Once the video surfaced, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation sprung into action and wrote a letter to the government of Pakistan through Interpol, asking for information regarding the video. 

The FIA nabbed the suspects on the directives of Ministry of Interior.

According to the FIA, since the suspects are under 15 years of age, special permission will be taken from DG FIA for their arrest.

On Wednesday, the FIA took into custody three suspects from Lahore for playing the Blue Whale game, who had confessed to having kidnapped a youth, the agency said.

*Names withheld to protect identities