Three sisters died this week after jumping from the ninth floor of their apartment building in India, local authorities and their family said.
The girls were suspected to have become heavily involved in an online game and were recently denied access to a phone, NDTV and the Press Trust of India reported, citing police. However, NDTV reported that their deaths have not yet been directly linked to the game.
There have also been reports that the family may have been dealing with other challenges, including financial pressure and emotional strain.
Around 2:15 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Feb. 4, officials responded to reports that three girls had jumped from the balcony of a ninth-floor apartment in Ghaziabad, outside New Delhi, police said on X.
The girls were identified as sisters Nishika, 16, Prachi, 14, and Pakhi, 12. NDTV also reported that the eldest sister’s name was Vishika.
A police official told NDTV that the three girls, identified as the daughters of Chetan Kumar, were found dead after the fall.
An investigation is ongoing. PEOPLE contacted police for further comment but did not immediately receive a response.
According to NDTV, the sisters jumped one after another and left an eight-page note in a diary addressed to their parents. Their father told NDTV the note described their interest in online gaming and a fixation on Korean culture.
PTI reported that the girls were obsessed with a Korean game involving a series of tasks and that they had largely stayed at home, not attending school for two years.
Kumar told PTI that they had been playing the game for about two-and-a-half to three years and that they often said they wanted to go to Korea. NDTV reported that their phone use worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Nimish Patel told NDTV that the girls had been denied access to a mobile phone in recent days, and that the restriction appeared to have affected them.
Kumar told NDTV that he had not known about the game and would not have allowed them to play it. Patel told NDTV that investigators had not identified a specific game name so far, but said the girls appeared to have been influenced by Korean culture.