Bengaluru Engineer Loses ₹1.5 Crore In Online Cricket Betting, Wife Dies By Suicide After 'Threats' By Lenders

Earlier this month, tragedy struck in Chitradurga, Karnataka, as the wife of a man allegedly died by suicide amidst financial turmoil stemming from her husband's involvement in online cricket betting, accumulating debts amounting to ₹1.5 crore.

The Times of India reported the incident that unfolded in Hosadurga, where Darshan Balu, an assistant engineer with the state minor irrigation department, found himself ensnared in a vortex of financial distress. The creditors, who had extended loans to Balu, began to mount pressure on him and his family due to the outstanding debts.

Regrettably, unable to withstand this mounting pressure, Balu's 24-year-old wife, Ranjita V, took her own life.

Complaint lodged by victim's father

Her lifeless body was discovered on March 19, prompting her father, Venkatesh M, to lodge a complaint against 13 individuals purportedly involved in lending money to Darshan. In a heart-wrenching suicide note, Ranjita detailed the harassment inflicted upon her and her husband by these creditors, attributing their relentless actions as the primary trigger for her tragic decision.

The police have initiated legal action against the 13 suspects for abetment to suicide, resulting in the arrest of three individuals, while the remaining suspects remain at large. Darshan and Ranjita, parents to a two-year-old son, have tragically become casualties of online betting.

Lakhs still pending

Venkatesh revealed that Darshan incurred staggering losses of Rs. 1.5 crore through cricket betting, despite making substantial repayments towards the borrowed funds. Nonetheless, sources suggest that Darshan still owed approximately Rs. 54 lakh to his creditors at the time of Ranjita's untimely demise.

According to Venkatesh, Darshan was lured into the world of cricket betting by the suspects, who enticed him with promises of financial backing against blank cheques as collateral. Despite participating in online betting from 2021 to 2023, Darshan's losses continued to mount, intensifying the pressure from creditors demanding repayment.