Police investigating the deaths of three minor girls in Ghaziabad have revealed that the sisters were heavily influenced by Korean culture and were deeply addicted to an online task-based game, factors that may have played a role in the tragic incident. The girls, aged 16, 14 and 12, died after allegedly jumping from the ninth floor of their high-rise residential building.
According to officials, the three minors lived with their father, a forex trader, and their mothers. The eldest girl was born to the father’s first wife, while the two younger sisters were from his second marriage. Police said the girls had developed a strong obsession with mobile gaming, which intensified after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Assistant Police Commissioner Atul Kumar Singh said the minors were so immersed in the online game that it began to affect their daily lives and education. He noted that the eldest child, despite being 16, was still studying at a primary school level and showed little interest in academics. Investigators also said the girls believed they were Korean rather than Indian and often imagined themselves as “Korean princesses” under the influence of the game.
Police recovered diaries from the flat that reportedly contained multiple handwritten notes, including apologies and drawings expressing distress. Officials said the entries detailed the sisters’ routines, their shared lifestyle and their fixation on the task-based game. Family members were aware of the girls’ excessive mobile phone use and would sometimes confiscate their devices, but the minors managed to regain access to them repeatedly.
Investigators said that after midnight on the night of the incident, the girls were with their mothers before moving to the puja room, which they locked from inside. Police believe they used a chair to reach a window and then jumped one after another from the ninth floor.
Residents and security guards were alerted by a loud sound, which woke both people on the ground floor and family members inside the apartment. Police were informed soon after, and the bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.
An eyewitness told police and news agencies that the incident appeared sudden and unusual, claiming it seemed as though one girl had intended to jump while the others fell while trying to stop her. Police said all statements are being verified as part of the investigation.
Authorities continue to examine digital evidence, diaries and family accounts to piece together the sequence of events and understand the circumstances that led to the deaths.