Militants in Pakistan Use PUBG Mobile to Execute Attack on a Local Police Station

In a disturbing development, militants in Pakistan have escalated the misuse of gaming platforms, by using PUBG Mobile's in-game features to carry out a violent attack. Reports indicate that on August 28, militants in Swat, Pakistan, used the game's Chat Room function to plan and execute an assault on the Banr Police Station, resulting in the death of one police officer while two others got injured. Following the attack, the district police commenced an investigation and analyzed CCTV footage from various police cameras to identify the militants.

According to Dr Zahidullah, the district police officer of Swat, the investigation initially focused on motorcycle footage seen in CCTV footage near the police station before the explosion; however, further investigation revealed that militants used the Chat Room feature of the PUBG Mobile to communicate with each other and plan the attack instead of using regular cellular calling.

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As reported by Dawn, "The militants would play PUBG to practice and motivate their group members for battle against the state and would use the chat room for communication,” said Zahidullah. The reason behind using the PUBG Chat Room feature was to keep all the conversations hidden from the surveillance agencies.

Police identified one suspect through the CCTV footage which ultimately led to the arrest of the remaining suspects who revealed that the militants belonged to a local, Murad alias Rehmatullah group, affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

The investigation uncovered that the attackers had used an improvised explosive device (IED) made from a power bank, rather than a hand grenade.

The arrested suspects admitted that they were keeping up communication with their gang and family members in Afghanistan through PUBG chat rooms, continuously changing their mobile phones and SIM cards to avoid detection.

Addressing The Growing Threat: Mobile Gaming as a Tool for Criminal Activities

With the increased popularity and enhanced accessibility of mobile gaming, Asian countries along with the rest of the world are suffering an increased rate of crimes where gaming has been used as a tool or medium. It is clear that mobile games, especially those with dedicated features where you can interact with other individuals, need to be equipped with more stringent measures to monitor and counter such events.

While outright banning games may seem like a straightforward option to many, it hurts the economy surrounding the gaming industry which is one of the largest in the world and actively contributes to a nation's GDP. Therefore, it is crucial for policymakers to implement balanced strategies that address security concerns without undermining the economic benefits of the gaming sector.