CHENNAI: A 20-year-old college student died by suicide inside a tattoo studio in Aminjikarai on Monday, after he allegedly lost his savings to online gambling.The deceased lived with his parents and brother in TP Chathram. He was a third-year BCA student in a private college. He worked part-time in a tattoo studio in Aminjikarai, said police.
On Sunday evening, he left home stating he had some work in the studio. As he did not return even after several hours, the parents called him over phone, but their calls went unanswered. Hence, they sent his brother to the studio, where he found the youth dead.
Upon receiving information, Aminjikarai police rushed to the spot and conducted preliminary inquiries. A suicide note read that he lost all his savings after gambling in a mobile phone application called Casto Club.
“I also took `20,000 from the studio and lost it in the app,” the youth said and apologised to the studio owner. The note further said nobody was responsible for his decision. Aminjikarai police have registered a case and are investigating.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
How Casto Club works
Users can trade money with certain colours and digits in the game and if the same colour and digits appear on the screen, they can win up to nine times of the money traded. Each trading lasts about three minutes - first two-and-half minutes to choose the colour and the digit and the result will be displayed in the next 30 seconds. The money, if won, will be transferred to the user’s bank account directly, said those who play the application.