NIZAMABAD: A 25-year-old petrol pump worker died by suicide after accumulating Rs 5 lakh in debt from online betting apps, leaving his family, including his wife and infant son, in financial ruin.
Sources said the victim, Akash, a resident of Akula Konduru village in Nizamabad Rural mandal, had hoped to earn a fortune with small investments, but ended up losing his life due to betting. Nizamabad South Rural police inspector N Suresh Kumar said Akash attempted suicide five days ago by consuming pesticide. While undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Nizamabad, he died on Tuesday evening.
After a postmortem at the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Nizamabad on Wednesday, the body was handed over to his family for the final rites. The funeral was conducted in his village the same day.
Sources added that Akash had been working at a petrol bunk in Khanapur for several months and had reportedly become addicted to betting. He borrowed `5 lakh from multiple people and lost `3 lakh through betting recently.
A large number of villagers, friends and relatives gathered at the GGH mortuary. Many of Akash’s friends told mediapersons that he had been using the betting app for the past two years and had become completely addicted to it. They said he was unable to stay away from the app and frequently took loans through digital payment platforms. He had also repaid some of the loans but continued borrowing money.
A friend of Akash’s father said the 25-year-old frequently demanded money from his father, despite repeated warnings.
His father suspected that he was making frequent trips to Maharashtra, but the purpose of these visits remained unclear.
A youth from the village expressed concerns that Akash’s family, which owns only one acre of agricultural land, cannot afford to repay the `5 lakh debt raised by betting losses.
Police have not yet identified the specific betting app used by Akash. Investigators will analyse details from his mobile phone and speak to family members before proceeding with the probe.
Police foil suicide bid of Nizamabad man
Adilabad: Police foiled a suicide attempt by a man named Komati Ganga Prasad from Boya Galli in Nizamabad, who tried to jump from the Basara bridge along with his two children on Wednesday.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)