Ghaziabad sisters’ deaths shrouded in mystery

GHAZIABAD: Police probing the deaths of three minor sisters who allegedly jumped from a ninth-floor flat here said on Wednesday that the girls had developed an online gaming habit during the Covid-19 pandemic and would mostly play together.“They did everything together — from eating, bathing and sleeping to going to school,” said Assistant commissioner of police (Shalimar Garden) Atul Kumar Singh, adding that investigators are examining the role of mobile phone addiction and the influence of a Korean online game.

The sisters — Nishika (16), Prachi (14) and Pakhi (12), daughters of Chetan Kumar — died after allegedly jumping from the balcony of flat in Bharat City under Teela Mor police station limits in the Sahibabad area around 2.15 am on Wednesday. They were taken to a hospital in Loni, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.Deputy commissioner of police Nimish Patil said the girls were heavily influenced by Korean content and spent a significant amount of time on their mobile phones. Family members had restricted their mobile phone usage in recent days, which may have caused distress, he said, adding that the investigation is at an early stage.Police said the sisters’ education had been irregular and that they had not attended school for the past two years. Their academic performance had also been unsatisfactory earlier, officials said.The family has five children — four daughters and a son. The father had married twice, and all family members were living together. Police said the incident occurred late at night after other family members had gone to sleep.During the probe, police recovered a diary belonging to the girls. A note found inside read, “Read everything written in this diary, it is all here,” along with a crying-face emoji and the message, “Sorry papa, I am really sorry.”Police said the circumstances leading to the incident are being investigated and statements of family members are being recorded.