PUBG task takes Class 8 boy nearly 150 km from home; found in Mathura after 2 days

A 14-year-old Class 8 student in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad left home to complete an online gaming task that he believed could help him win Rs 1 lakh, but ended up travelling hundreds of kilometres away and was eventually found in Mathura, police said.

The boy had set out for Gwalior but lost his way and travelled first to Indore and then to Mathura. After being missing for two days, he was traced with the help of CCTV footage and mobile surveillance and was safely recovered from a roadways bus in Mathura.

According to police, the boy started spending more time on his mobile phone after the death of his father. He subsequently became addicted to the online game PUBG. The student reportedly decided to travel to Gwalior after receiving a task linked to the game, with the hope of winning Rs 1 lakh.

On Thursday evening around 5 pm, he left his home carrying his school bag and did not return. His family searched for him but could not find him.

The family, suspecting that he had been kidnapped, lodged a police complaint against the father of a Class 4 student's classmate, following a dispute involving the younger brother at school a day earlier.CCTV, MOBILE SURVEILLANCE HELP TRACE BOY

Police teams began examining CCTV footage from the area as part of the search operation. The boy was seen travelling in an auto near a Jain temple. The police then used mobile surveillance to track his phone number. His location was eventually traced to a bus in Mathura.

Police said the student had initially intended to travel to Gwalior but mistakenly reached Indore. After realising that he had gone to the wrong place, he boarded another bus.

He fell asleep during the journey and woke up in Mathura the next morning. Instead of returning home, he continued trying to complete the task and boarded a roadways bus from Mathura to Gwalior.

Police traced his location through mobile surveillance while he was on the bus and safely recovered him.

Senior police officer Ravishankar Prasad said the case involving the missing Class 8 student had been solved.

A police team was formed under the supervision of City Circle Officer Santosh Kumar Singh to trace the boy. He was safely recovered and handed over to his family, police said.- Ends