A 16-year-old boy in Hyderabad lost Rs 36 Lakh from his mother’s account on an online mobile game called Free Fire, according to the cyber crime wing of Hyderabad police.

According to the report by IANS, the boy downloaded the game on his grandfather’s mobile and started playing the game. Free Fire is a free-to-play game like PUBG Mobile and features several microtransactions for in-game customization.

At the start, the boy spent Rs 1,500 from his mother’s account following purchases worth Rs 10,000. Later on, the kid became addicted to all the new-looking weapon skins and character outfits and started spending money regularly on the game without the knowledge of family members.

Later when the mother went to the bank for cash withdrawal from her account, which she presumed to have Rs 27 lakh, but was surprised to find out that there is no money left in her account. She then checked her other bank account, which had over Rs 9 lakh, to find out it was also gone.

The mother then filed a complaint with the cyber crime department of the police, who found that there were several transactions with the account on the game. The woman said that the money belonged to her late husband’s earnings, who was a police officer and the monetary benefit she received after he passed away.

The 16-year-old spent all the money to impress his friends with some virtual clothes. Incidents like these are common all around the world, with the latest one being a 13-year-old girl in China spending Rs 52 lakh on a mobile game.

This is also one of the reasons why the Indian government banned popular games like PUBG Mobile and BGMI. Parents of children playing these mobile games are advised to keep transaction authentication on and always check their accounts in a timely manner.