Karnataka Woman Dies By Suicide Over Harassment After Husband Loses Rs 1 Cr In Betting

Ranjitha and Darshan got married in 2020, and in 2021, she discovered her husband's gambling addiction.

Exhausted by the alleged harassment from moneylenders, his 24-year-old wife, Ranjitha, took her own life on March 18.

New Delhi: In a tragic incident, the temptation of quick earnings through online cricket betting led a man from Karnataka into staggering debts, ultimately leading to his wife's untimely demise.

Darshan Babu, an assistant engineer with the state's minor irrigation department in Hosadurga, Chitradurga, reportedly incurred losses of over Rs 1 crore in online betting, resulting in incessant harassment from creditors, reported NDTV. 

Reportedly, he had borrowed more than Rs 1.5 crore to gamble after losing all his money. Although he was able to repay Rs 1 crore, authorities state that he still owes a remaining loan of Rs 84 lakh.

Exhausted by the alleged harassment from moneylenders, his 24-year-old wife, Ranjitha, took her own life on March 18.

Ranjitha and Darshan got married in 2020, and in 2021, she discovered her husband's gambling addiction, claimed her father Venkatesh.

In his complaint, Venkatesh said that his daughter was extremely distressed due to the constant harassment by moneylenders and this led to her suicide. He has also named 13 men who had allegedly lent the money.

"He (Darshan) was not willing to get into betting, but the suspects forced him saying it was an easy way to get rich. They promised to finance his betting activities against some blank cheques as security," he told NDTV.

Chitradurga Superintendent of Police, Dharmendra Kumar Meena, told News 18, "As per the complaint from Ranjitha’s father Venkatesh, Ranjitha died by suicide because of the harassment from those people who lent money to her husband, Darshan. While Darshan was taking money from the people, he for surety was giving people an empty cheque."

“People used to threaten the couple, come near the house and fight with them. All this increased the stress level for Ranjitha and that led her to end her life. A case, however, was filed as per her father’s complaint,” Meena added.

Police revealed that Ranjitha left behind a suicide note detailing the harassment they faced from moneylenders.

Following the complaint, police filed a case against 13 suspects under IPC 306 for abetment to suicide. Three suspects, identified as Shivu, Girish, and Venkatesha, have been arrested so far.

During the investigation, it was uncovered that Darshan Balu borrowed Rs 84 lakh from moneylenders between 2021 and 2023 during the IPL season. "We have filed a case against 13 individuals and arrested three of them," stated Meena, reported News 18.