Money lost in online games, a man hangs himself in Medchal

Hyderabad: A man, who was so addicted to online gambling that he sold household items, borrowed money and even sold his wife’s jewelry to cover his financial losses, eventually hanged himself unable to repay his debts.

According to the police, P Shekhar (35), originally from Papannapet of Medak worked as a helper in a private company. He lived with his wife in Gyanapur in Medchal. Shekhar has staked a lot of money and played online games over the past three years, police said, adding that while he won some money, the losses were huge.

“Whenever he lost money, he either borrowed money from friends and family or sold household items and made up for the losses. However, he continued to invest money in online games,” police said.

With the debts growing, his wife Amaravathi also helped him by selling his gold jewelry to pool money to clear his debts. However, their efforts failed, with Shekhar remaining visibly upset in recent days. Late on Tuesday night, while the rest of the family slept, he allegedly hung himself from a ceiling fan in his bedroom.

No suicide note was found, police said, adding that the family had suggested he was distressed by his debts and could have taken his own life.

The Medchal police are investigating.