Woman Kills Self Over Husband’s IPL Gambling Debts
24-year-old Ranjitha from the southern Indian state of Karnataka committed suicide when her hubby’s gambling habit plunged them into serious financial woes.
The current edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament has barely begun and it has already caused a casualty. Ranjitha, a young house-wife and resident of Chitradurga, a town 200 km north-west of the Bengaluru, allegedly ended her life in the face of huge IPL gambling debts incurred by her husband Darshan Babu. Police investigating the case believe that the deceased’s better-half was addicted to the habit, having piled on debts of about Rs. 1.5 Crore or approximately 180,000 USD.
Darshan, who was an engineer with Karnataka state's Minor Irrigation Department, had been betting on the outcome of IPL matches between 2021 and 2023. To cover severe losses, he borrowed further from loan sharks at exorbitant rates of interest. His distraught spouse and father-in-law Ventakesh had met with the lenders on several occasions, but the latter’s constant harassment became overwhelming for the young lady. Her body was found dangling from the ceiling of her home on March 18, 2024. Among others, Ranjitha is survived by a 2-year-old child.
The local cops responded to a subsequent complaint lodged by her bereaved dad. The law-enforcers however are unwilling to believe the man’s claim that his son-in-law was lured into get-rich-quick schemes by gambling on IPL matches. The cops instead maintain that Darshan acted on his own impulse and was fully aware of the risks involved. The police however, are interrogating the several parties mentioned in the complaint. IPL may be quite the money-spinner, but apparently it is also causing many to lose huge sums and worse still, their lives.
