New Delhi: Online gaming is growing by leaps and bounds in India. Popular among young people and an addiction for some, it entails certain risks and dangers.
A couple in Rajasthan were victims of the ills of online gaming, as they took their own lives amid uncertainty over paying back losses they incurred in their online interests.
Kota resident Deepak Rathore, who played online games on his mobile phone, told his sister a day before he and his wife died by suicide that he was under a debt of Rs 4 to 5 lakh.
“I have no option left except to die,” Deepak had told his elder sister.
His sister told him not to take any drastic step and assured that the money will be arranged to pay back the debt. However, that assurance did little to satisfy Deepak, as the couple died by hanging from the fan in their room.
On knocking at their door, Deepak’s father Satyanarayan Rathore got no response.
Tragically, it was the couple’s five-year-old daughter who opened the door from inside, a few minutes later.
The growing debts from online gaming is being considered to be the reason behind the couple’s suicide, but Kota Rural Superintendent of Police Sujeet Shankar said all aspects of the incident are being probed.
The Supreme Court last month agreed to examine a plea seeking a complete ban on ‘illegal’ betting apps. The petition also sought strict regulations on online gaming and fantasy sports, and the enactment of a comprehensive law.
The top court issued a notice to the Centre, seeking its response.
