A 16-year-old boy ran away from home in the western suburb of Jogeshwari after his parents reprimanded him for allegedly spending ₹ 10 lakh through online transactions for playing PUBG, police said on Friday.
The police subsequently traced the runaway teen to Mahakali Caves area in Andheri (east) on Thursday afternoon and sent him back to his parents, Datta Nalawade, DCP, Crime Branch said.
The incident came to light on Wednesday evening, after the boy's father approached the MIDC police station with a missing person's complaint, and since the boy was a minor, the police registered a case of kidnapping and a search was launched, the official said.
During the probe, the boy's parents informed the police that the teenager had been addicted to PUBG since last month, and while playing on the mobile phone, he spent ₹ 10 lakh from his mother's bank account to get an ID and virtual currency to play the game, he said.
When the parents found out about the online transaction, they scolded the boy, following which he wrote a letter and left the home, the official said.
With the help of informants and technical analysis, the crime branch team managed to trace the boy, who was sent back to his parents after counselling, he added.
