Bhubaneswar: A 22-year-old man allegedly killed himself at his house in Old Town area here on Thursday after reportedly incurring losses in lakhs in online gaming. "We are investigating the exact cause behind the suicide. His family members and friends said he was addicted to playing online games and we were told that he lost around Rs 4 lakh in gaming. We are verifying the claims," a police officer said.
The victim was identified as Sasanka Sekhar Tripathy from Tini Mundia Square near Lingaraj Temple. He allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his room in the early hours.
Initial investigations suggest Tripathy borrowed money from various sources to cover losses incurred in online gaming. Police sources indicated that pressure from creditors demanding repayment likely influenced his decision to end his life.
"We have come to know that though Tripathy's family members were persuading him umpteen times not to play the game, he did not pay heed to their advice. He continued playing the game to recover the lost money," the police officer added.
While Tripathy's family members declined to speak to the media, police officials said he had dinner before going to his bedroom on Wednesday night. When he did not wake up in the morning, the concerned family members knocked on his door. Then his family members broke open the door of his room and found his body hanging from the ceiling fan.
The Lingaraj police later recovered the body and sent it for a post-mortem examination. After registering an unnatural death case, the police began the investigation to ascertain the circumstances leading to Tripathy's suicide.
Experts said online gaming has emerged as a major life risk. "We are shocked to see many celebrities promoting online games on TV channels and social media. Nobody knows whether there are any strict regulations on such activities. Many youths are getting attracted to the gaming apps to earn quick money. The govt should curb the menace by regulating the activities of the online gaming platforms," S K Dash, a retired psychology professor, said.