Ghaziabad’s Sisters suicide: A disturbing tragedy happened in Ghaziabad’s Bharat City township when three minor sisters aged 16, 14, and 12 allegedly died by suicide after jumping from the ninth floor of their apartment in the early hours of Wednesday.
Police say the girls were deeply addicted to an online Korean task-based game and had developed an intense psychological attachment to it over the past few years.
As investigators piece together the sequence of events, details from a diary left behind, their family background, and their mobile phone usage are raising serious questions about online gaming addiction, children’s mental health, and parental awareness in the digital era.
Ghaziabad’s Sisters suicide:What happened in the early hours
According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Atul Kumar Singh, the incident took place around 2:15 am inside the family’s ninth-floor flat in Sahibabad.
The girls were initially with their mothers before they went into a room, locked it from inside, and later jumped one by one from the balcony window. The loud noise alerted residents and security guards, who informed the family and police.
The girls were rushed to a hospital in Loni but were declared dead on arrival. Their bodies have been sent for post-mortem and the police have seized their mobile phones and a diary for forensic examination.
Ghaziabad’s Sisters suicide:The diary note that investigators are examining
An eight-page note written in Hinglish was recovered from a pocket diary. In it, the sisters repeatedly apologised to their parents and insisted that everything written in the diary was the truth.
One of the lines read, “Is diary me jo kuch bhi likha hai vo sab padh lo quki ye sab sach hai.” They also wrote, “We can’t leave Korea. Korea is our life. You can’t free us,” along with a crying caricature and repeated apologies to their father.
On a wall in their room, one of the girls had written, “I am very, very alone. My life is very, very alone.” Police believe the diary reflects emotional isolation and a deep immersion into a fictional Korean identity influenced by the online game.
Ghaziabad’s Sisters suicide: Obsession with a Korean task-based game
Investigators say the girls became deeply attached to a Korean interactive task-based game during the Covid-19 pandemic when they were spending most of their time at home.
According to police, they had given themselves Korean names, believed they were “Korean princesses,” and closely followed tasks assigned within the game. They reportedly stayed together constantly and resisted repeated attempts by parents to restrict phone usage.
Officials have clarified that no confirmed link has yet been established between the game and any explicit self-harm task. However, the psychological influence of the game is being examined in detail as part of the probe.
Ghaziabad’s Sisters suicide: Family background that has drawn attention
Another aspect under scrutiny is the family structure. Sources told media outlets that the girls’ father, a forex trader, had married his first wife’s younger sister after the couple initially did not have children. Later, both wives had children and the entire family, including five children, lived together in the same apartment.
Of the three girls who died, the eldest was born to the first wife while the younger two were from the second wife. Police are examining whether the home environment, schooling gaps, and family dynamics may have contributed to the girls’ emotional condition.
They had not been attending school for two years
Deputy Commissioner of Police Nimish Patil said preliminary findings suggest the girls had not attended school for nearly two years, reportedly due to weak academic performance and financial issues.
Investigators believe the lack of social interaction, structured routine, and prolonged screen exposure during and after the pandemic may have increased their dependence on mobile gaming and virtual identities.
Parents had tried to restrict mobile use
The father told reporters he was unaware of the nature of the game and that the family had recently started restricting the girls’ mobile phone use after noticing excessive gaming.
Police said that whenever the phones were taken away, the girls would manage to retrieve them and continue playing.
What investigators are focusing on now
Authorities are analysing the girls’ mobile data, app history, and diary contents to understand the psychological state that led to the incident. They are also verifying the nature of the game, studying behavioural patterns reflected in the writings, and examining the overall home environment.
Officials have stressed that the exact trigger is still under investigation and no single factor has been conclusively established so far.
A tragedy that raises wider concerns
The deaths of the three sisters have shocked the Ghaziabad community and sparked a broader debate around online gaming addiction among minors, lack of digital monitoring at home, and the psychological impact of immersive virtual identities on children.
Experts say that prolonged exposure to virtual worlds without supervision can blur the line between fantasy and reality, especially for emotionally vulnerable children.
Authorities have urged parents to remain vigilant about their children’s online activities and to seek psychological support if they notice signs of withdrawal, obsession, or emotional distress.
(If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or going through a crisis, we urge you to reach out to suicide helpline numbers.)
Helplines
AASRA – 9820466726
Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health – 9999666555
Parivarthan Counselling Helpline- 7676602602
Lifeline Foundation- 9088030303
Parivarthan Counselling Helpline- 7676602602
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
