Hooked on mobile games, three siblings run away after father hides phone

Surat: A father’s attempt to curb his children’s ‘Free Fire’ addiction spiralled into a tense episode, as three minor siblings fled home with Rs 15,000 after being scolded and travelled across cities before being traced and rescued after four days.

The search for siblings — two brothers aged 14 and 11, and their 9-year-old sister — involved scrutiny of nearly 400 CCTV cameras and deployment of teams to Mumbai, Vapi, Jaipur, Delhi and Vadodara.

Police said the addiction gripped the children for the past one-and-a-half years to such an extent that they would often skip meals and stay awake through the night to continue playing the game. After their father reprimanded them on the night of May 18 and hid the mobile phone in a cupboard, the children were hurt and decided to leave home. They left their residence in the Chowk Bazar area in the early hours of May 19.

Police inspector S D Ratda told TOI: “After leaving the home around 4 am, the kids went to Surat railway station and caught a train to Mumbai. From there, they boarded the Bandra-Jaipur train but again alighted at Surat. They took another train from Surat to Delhi and reached there. They again took a train to Surat and reached here. Our team, which was on their trail from Delhi station, spotted them outside the Surat station and rescued them safely.”

“From Surat, they were planning to take a train to another city before being rescued,” said Ratda, who termed this case a red flag for parents who allow their kids mobiles for long hours.

According to police, the children’s father works in a local textile unit, while their mother is a homemaker. Besides the three minors, the couple also has two older children.

“The kids were dropouts and studied till some primary classes in their native place before shifting to Surat. As they were alone at home most of the time, they started playing games on their mother’s mobile phone. They did this for the last 1.5 years. Many times, they would skip sleep and take turns to play throughout the night. They also frequently missed lunch or dinner,” police said.

Investigators said earlier attempts by the parents to restrict access to mobile phones failed. When the mother’s phone was withheld during the day, the children allegedly began using their father’s phone at night while he slept. Despite repeated efforts by the parents to hide the phones, the addiction continued.

Police said the children spent around Rs 5,000 on food and autorickshaw fares during their journey. Surat police coordinated with the city crime branch, railway police in multiple cities and ticket checkers to track the siblings.