Lahore 'PUBG addict' sentenced to 100 years in prison for killing mother, 3 siblings

A sessions court in Lahore has handed down a collective sentence of 100 years in prison to a teenager for the shocking 2022 murder of his mother, brother, and two sisters in Kahna.

Additional Sessions Judge Riaz Ahmed found Ali Zain guilty of committing the crime at the age of 14 years. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs4 million on the convict.

The court ruled that the teenager was awarded life terms instead of capital punishment due to his young age.

The incident took place in January 2022 when Zain, described by police as a PUBG addict, allegedly lost control after failing to achieve targets in the online game. Enraged, he opened fire on his family members inside their home.

According to case details, Zain first shot his mother, a lady health worker, while she was asleep. He then gunned down his sisters — 15-year-old Mahnoor Fatima and 10-year-old Jannat — before killing his 20-year-old brother, Taimoor Sultan, who rushed to the room after hearing the gunfire.

Investigators said Zain attempted to cover up the crime by discarding the weapon in a nearby drain and pretending to be asleep in his room. However, bloodstains on his clothes and inconsistencies in his account led to his arrest. After sustained interrogation, he confessed to the murders.

A senior police officer told reporters that Zain spent most of his time isolated in his room playing PUBG, and the killings were the result of uncontrollable rage triggered by his obsession with the game.

The tragedy was not the first PUBG-linked crime in Lahore. Police said it was the fourth such case, with earlier incidents involving teenage suicides reportedly connected to the game’s psychological effects.

In 2020, after the first reported case, then Lahore CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed had urged the authorities to ban PUBG to “save young lives” from its harmful influence.