MUMBAI: Eleven months after a teenage college-goer died by suicide, a preliminary probe by the Govt Railway Police (GRP) showed that he was possibly under stress from being cyberscammed. The Andheri GRP registered a case of abetment on Sunday against three people who were beneficiaries of the money defrauded from the youngster.Police said the incident was reported on Jan 21. The 17-year-old boy lived with his family at Jogeshwari. Around 8:10 pm, he was struck by a train on platform 4 of Jogeshwari station and succumbed to serious injuries. The police subsequently recorded the statement of the train’s motorman, who said he witnessed the youngster jump before the train in a bid to end his life. No suicide note was found.A police officer said the boy’s family had no inkling as to what could have pushed him to take the drastic step. At their request, the police began a probe. They made inquiries with friends and family and went through his belongings. A technical analysis of his phone and gadgets showed that he was chatting, over the Telegram app, with some people since Dec 2024. During the conversations on Telegram, he was given an offer to earn a commission by giving ratings to establishments online. He started completing the tasks given to him. Next, he was asked to invest to earn a higher amount. Between Dec 31, 2024, and Jan 21, 2025, he paid Rs 49,000 online through UPI.Police suspect the youngster may have realised he was taken for a ride and was probably under stress. Two of the total five payments made were on the same day that he took the drastic step. Based on the findings of the preliminary probe, police registered an FIR against the people who received money from the youngster via UPI. Police teams are looking for them. This is the second such case this year where a youngster ended his life from stress after being cyberscammed. On Oct 11, Kurla GRP registered a case of abetment against four people in connection with the death of a 20-year-old collegian, Vivek T.Vivek died by suicide on the railway tracks between Ghatkopar and Vikhroli on July 15. Police said fraudsters convinced Vivek to download a malicious cryptocurrency app and invest through it. He initially received some returns, which caused him to believe that the investment platform was authentic. Vivek spoke to his father, who was not convinced but gave in, and together they invested Rs 2.5 lakh. However, the recipient’s bank account was frozen by the authorities, and Rs 1.2 lakh was refunded, which made it clear he was a scammer. After Vivek’s death, his father learnt that the scammers were hounding him to pay up Rs 4 lakh, which caused him stress.Need help? Contact, MPower Mental Health Helpline 1800-120-820050 or Ankahee Foundation’s helpline number 86-554 86-966
