A 29-year-old employee, K. Someshwara Rao, died by suicide reportedly after losing Rs 3 lakh in cricket betting over the past three years.
Hyderabad:A 29-year-old employee, K. Someshwara Rao, died by suicide reportedly after losing Rs 3 lakh in cricket betting over the past three years. His body was recovered on the railway tracks between Gundlapochampally and Medchal railway stations early on Monday morning.
Rao, the only son of his parents, Ramana and Laxmi, had left home around 5 am, saying he was going out for a short while. When he failed to return after an hour, his worried parents alerted his friends, who repeatedly tried calling Rao.
Shortly afterwards, Rao shared his location with them and urged them to reach the spot immediately. By the time they arrived, they found his body near the railway tracks.
According to railway police, Rao had been struggling with financial losses due to cricket betting and had lost `3 lakh over the past three years. On Monday, he allegedly lost another `1 lakh, which may have pushed him to take the extreme step.
His family, however, was unsure whether Rao had borrowed money or used his salary for betting. His mother, Laxmi, suspected that someone might have pressured her son regarding financial issues. She said Rao had shown no signs of distress and had been behaving normally at home.
“We are not sure whether my son took money from others or invested his salary in the betting. But some persons might have definitely exerted pressure on him in connection with money transactions,” Laxmi said at her residence.
“My son was behaving normally and was jovial with us. We have not seen any signs of depression in him,” Laxmi said.
Investigations revealed that Rao had faced similar financial trouble a few years ago, around the time of his sister’s marriage. His parents had managed to resolve the issue back then by repaying the debt. Since then, he has been regularly attending work, showing no visible signs of gambling addiction.
Upon receiving information, the Government Railway Police reached the spot and sent the body to the Gandhi Hospital mortuary for postmortem. It was later handed over to the family for last rites.
The incident occurred amid a police crackdown on online betting apps. Authorities have begun compiling FIR details of individuals who have died by suicide after suffering financial losses through betting platforms across the state.
