PUBG Mobile ban: Rajkot police arrest 10 people for playing the game in public

tech2 News StaffMar 14, 2019 10:47:18 IST

After a ban was placed on the popular online multiplayer game PUBG Mobile in Surat and Rajkot, we are now hearing of the very first arrests being made in connection to it.

PUBG. tech2

In the last two days, Rajkot police have arrested ten people — six students are still in college for playing the game. Police Commissioner Manoj Agrawal said in a statement to Indian Express that the crime is a bailable offense.

"People have been booked but there is nothing like arrest in it. In the procedure, they will be shown as immediately bailed out by police. The case will go to the courts and there will be a trial for not following the notification issued,” he said to the Indian Express.

The Rajkot Special operations group caught three youths 'red handed' playing the game and charged them under IPC Section 188 for violating the notification. "This game is highly addictive and the accused were so engrossed in playing them that they could not even notice our team approaching them,” said SOG Rohit Raval to Indian Express.

Following reports of the game being banned in Surat and Rajkot, now Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath districts are also said to have prohibited the game following notification from the Gujarat home ministry.

The circular is said to highlight that games like PUBG "incite violent behaviour" amongst players, many of whom are school going kids.

In more recent news, a 15-year-old from Jalandhar withdrew Rs 50,000 from his father's bank account to purchase a PUBG game controller, custom skins, costumes as well as weapon skins for the game.