Majid Rehman, a 13-year-old boy addicted to playing the game PUBG, was found on Thursday after he went missing while purchasing groceries.
His father, Reham Mehmood, reported his son’s disappearance, stating that the boy left home with Rs65,000 rupees for monthly groceries but never returned.
Police registered a kidnapping case and began to search for him.
Rehman was found by a National Highways and Motorways Police (NH&MP) team in a vehicle during an inspection.
Apart from other items, the police found a PUBG character’s costume.
As Majid was questioned, he revealed that when he left home, he decided to hang out with his friends and spent the grocery money buying things that were of interest to him. He also talked about his liking for PUBG.
According to DSP Changezi, parents’ neglect towards their children results in such incidents.
PUBG is a widely played shooter game. However, it has been a part of several unfortunate or absurd incidents in Pakistan as well as around the world.
PUBG addicts, mainly children, have inflicted self-harm or harmed others. Some tend to run away from home. In extreme cases, players have committed suicide or shot people.
Boys from Nawan Kot and Kahna killed their family members in 2021 and 2022, respectively, under the the influence of the violent nature of the game. One boy even chased a member into the street while clad in the game’s character attire.
Similarly, children have committed suicide after losing the game or getting bullied for it.
Following several cases, the Lahore Police asked the higher authorities to ban the game.
The Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) created the “Mohafiz” app through which one can search and share information of cases of underprivileged, homeless children who run away from their homes in Punjab.
Through the app, government institutions can also be reached in case of an emergency and citizens can report any disappearance or accidents involving children.
According to Express Tribune, hundreds of children are present in various centres of Punjab including the CPWB in Lahore.
