The Rajkot Police on Thursday said they had arrested at least 10 people for playing mobile game PUBG which has been banned in several districts of Gujarat, The Times of India reported.
Police Commissioner Manoj Agrawal, who had banned the game in the city in a March 6 notification, said it is a bailable offence and that they were arrested in public places, The Indian Express reported. “People have been booked but there is nothing like an arrest in it,” Agarwal said. “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.”
Rohit Raval, Rajkot Special Operations Group police inspector, said their phones had been seized as part of the investigation. “Our team caught these youth red-handed,” Raval said. “This game is highly addictive and the accused were so engrossed in playing them that they could not even notice our team approaching them.”
PlayerUknown’s Battlegrounds, popularly called PUBG, is a multiplayer mobile app and video game that was launched in 2017. In the game, up to a hundred players can arrive on an island by way of parachutes and hunt for weaponry to kill others, while avoiding getting killed at the same time. Players can choose one out of four maps to play in. Playing a full round, on an average, takes less than thirty minutes.
PUBG has won multiple awards since its launch and has developed a huge user base in India and other parts of the world.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!