AHMEDABAD: The Abhayam 181 helpline gets over 200 calls a day, ranging from dowry to stalking, but on Tuesday, a call shocked the counsellors — a desperate father from Ranip told them that his 17-year-old daughter, now in class XII, was cursing at the top of her voice in dead of the night, prompting the shocked neighbours to complain.“The team that met the family got to know that the girl was addicted to a global social networking-cum-gaming platform which is popular among teens. The girl used to spend excessive hours, leaving aside her sleep and studies. Her parents took her phone twice — both the times prompting the girl to slit her wrists as a threat to the family,” said a 181 counsellor.When her threats did not work, the girl borrowed a smartphone from her friend to continue her cyber sojourns, said the team members. “She had also become defiant, refusing to part with the phone as it was not given by the family.”But further questioning revealed graver issue. “The girl was in contact with a few girls across the country including one from Assam. They had planned to flee from their homes and meet with a group of like-minded people based in Madhya Pradesh . The girl had planned to leave home in a few days. If the intervention had not taken place at the right time, she would have left her home with her belongings. It could be a trap or racket, police might probe the angle further,” said the official.Sheetal Patel, a counsellor with the helpline, said that they have advised psychological intervention for the girl to wean her off the addiction. “The girl’s family works hard to get her educated and they were pained that she had lost interest in studies. We are in contact with the family,” she said.

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