BHUBANESWAR: A man in Odisha’s Jharsuguda shot dead his wife and seven-year-old daughter before turning the firearm on himself after losing money in online betting, police said on Thursday.
Their bodies were found in a car parked near a playground at Banipahada in the Lakhanpur area, nearly six hours after the man is suspected to have killed his family and died by suicide.
Jharsuguda superintendent of police (SP) Smit Parmar said the man is suspected to have been stressed out due to heavy losses sustained in online gambling.
“From technical and financial investigation and the mobile call records, we found that the man was involved in online gambling through different mobile apps. From one of the apps that was checked alone, he lost more than ₹4.2 lakh. He had also taken loans from different places including private money lenders to place bets online,” the SP said.
A preliminary probe established that the man first killed his wife and daughter.
“We have seized the gun used in the crime, cartridges and other incriminating material from the car,” Parmar said.
(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918, Roshni Foundation (Secundrabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000, ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290