In a shocking incident of cyber scam, a 17-year-old Jogeshwari boy was allegedly pushed to take his own life in Mumbai after he was misled and financially trapped by the fraudsters, police said on Monday.
The deceased, a resident of Meghwadi area in Jogeshwari east, died nearly 11 months ago. The Andheri Railway Police have now finally registered an FIR against eight accused involved in the online scam.
How the incident unfolded
According to sources, the deceased, a Class XII student, was active on several social media platforms. In January, he left home for class as usual but did not return that night. His parents tried contacting him, but his phone was switched off.
Late that night, an unknown person called the boy’s father and asked him to come to Cooper Hospital, where the family was informed that a youth had died at Jogeshwari railway station. Based on his clothes and body structure, the family identified him. The Andheri Railway Police initially registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR).
What the investigation revealed
“At the spot, police recovered a broken mobile phone, which became the key to the case,” an officer said.
Senior Inspector Nitin Londhe and his team examined the damaged phone and began tracing the events that led to the suicide.
During the technical analysis, police discovered several apps and chat records indicating that the deceased was defrauded through an online task scheme. Further inquiry revealed that he had been mentally distressed after being cheated financially.
After months of investigation, the police concluded that the deceased had been deceived and pushed into severe stress, ultimately leading to his suicide. Based on these findings, a case was registered against eight individuals.
“During the investigation, we found that in December a scammer had messaged the deceased offering a part-time job. He was added to a Telegram group and assigned so-called ‘tasks’. While completing these tasks, he ended up paying Rs 49,000, which the fraudsters never returned. The prolonged mental pressure and deception allegedly drove the teenager to take the extreme step. Further investigation is underway,” the officer added.
Need help, here are suicide prevention helplines-
Samaritans Mumbai (Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm): 84229-84527
Connecting NGO (From 10 am to 8 pm): 9922004305/9922001122
Snehi (From 10 am to 10 pm): 9376804102
1 Life: 7893078930
Aasra: 9820466726
