- Saturday, April 27, 2024
The wife was left distressed as the lenders constantly harassed her for the money her husband allegedly taken from them to place the bets.
By: Shubham Ghosh
WITH the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 starting last week, cricket fans are betting on games to earn money. Some of them have found themselves to be more fortunate than others, but one man in the southern Indian state of Karnataka went to such an extent on IPL betting that he ended up under a mountain of debt, resulting in his wife committing suicide because of constant harassment by the lenders.
According to an NDTV report, Darshan Babu, an irrigation engineer by profession, is fond of cricket betting and has been indulging in the game of chances related to the IPL since 2021. He often borrows money after losing a bet or when he is short of funds to place a bet.
His family told the news outlet that Babu had racked up a debt of more than Rs 1 crore (£94,971) and with the creditors allegedly demanding their money back, his wife Ranjitha, who he married in 2020, decided to hang herself at their residence in Chitradurga in Karnataka. The unfortunate incident took place on March 18.
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The couple have a two-year-old son.
The couple’s financial condition was left in a mess because of Darshan’s betting habits. He had allegedly borrowed Rs 1.5 crore (£142,456) to place bets after running out of luck and squandered all money. Police said while he managed to return Rs 1 crore to the creditors, he still owed Rs 84 lakh (£79,775), the report added.
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Ranjitha’s father Venkatesh said she realised about her husband’s betting habits after their marriage. In his complaint, he said his daughter was very distressed due to constant harassment by the moneylenders and eventually took the drastic step to end her life. His father named 13 people who had allegedly given money to his son-in-law and said the latter was lured into betting with a promise of fast money even if he was reluctant.
“He (Darshan) was not willing to get into betting, but the suspects forced him saying it was an easy way to get rich. They promised to finance his betting activities against some blank cheques as security,” he was quoted as saying by the report.
The police recovered a suicide note written by Ranjitha, where she detailed the harassment they faced.
