Thailand has pulled copies of Grand Theft Auto IV after a teenager allegedly killed a tax driver trying to emulate the violent video game, police said.

New Era Interactive Media, the video game's regional publiisher, yanked the software from shelves after an 18-year old teenager car-jacked a taxi, allegedly killing the driver when he resisted.

"He wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game," the BBC quoted Bangkok police Captain Veerarit Pipatansak.

Thailand's government, which has pushed for tighter controls on who can purchase violent games, called the incident "a time bomb" that had exploded.