Hats off to Lahore police as they solved the mass murder of a whole family and the only surviving son, who was crazy about the violent Online game, turned out to be the killer, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Battle royale games like BGMI, Garena Free Fire and others have been blamed often for making players take to violent ways in real life.

It apparently came true in Kahna area of Lahore a few days ago when four dead bodies including three of women were discovered on January 19 last. They were shot dead from a point-blank range inside their house.

The investigation at that had suggested that some unidentified persons entered the house in the wee hours and murdered the four residents including the woman, her two young daughters and a son. Another son of the woman had survived the bullets and was later shifted to hospital with injuries.

The police officers had told the newsmen that some people barged into the house and murdered the four occupants. They said the dead included 45-year-old Dr Nadeeh, her 22-year-old son and two 17-year-old and 15-year-old daughters.

Later, Punjab’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Sardar Ali Khan had ordered that the probe should be conducted keeping in view all the angles of the incident.

SSP Investigation Imran Kishwar told the media that they were quizzing the son, Zain, which had survived the tragedy.

According to police, Dr. Naheed had been living in this house after her husband Sibtain had divorced her in 2004.

The police said no one in the area has heard the sound of bullets firing. “We have sent the empty bullet shells to the forensic laboratory for analysis. Pistol of 30 bore caliber was used in the murders,” the police added.

Eight days after the discovery of the dead bodies, the police succeeded in cracking the mass murder mystery and arrested the surviving son, Zain, as the killer of his family.

The police said Zain had killed his family members while playing the Online game. The police also have recovered the murder weapon.

There have been repeated calls in Pakistan for a ban on the Online game.

In 2020, in the wake of recommendations by DIG Operations Lahore Ashfaq Ahmed Khan, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had banned the Player Unknown’s Battlefields game which led to the committing of suicide by three adolescents during the months of June and July of that year.

DIG Ashfaq Khan was the very first police officer who raised this issue on electronic as well as print media directing the police circles concerned to make consultation and officially coordinate with PTA and other departments concerned to ban this game as a youth was devastated and their future was being ruined.

PTA had also received numerous complaints wherein it was stated that the game is addictive, a waste of time, and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of the children.

Reporter Abid Chaudhry