Hyderabad: In the wake of their son suffering heavy losses in online gambling and mounting debts, a couple along with him died by suicide in their home in Yadapally village in Nizamabad district after Friday midnight.
Police said that Suresh, 53, wife Hemalatha, 45, and their son Harish took the extreme step as they did not want moneylenders pressuring them to clear the loans Harish had taken.Police said that Harish, who was addicted to online gaming, had taken money from at least 12 villagers to place bets in online gambling.
Suspecting foul-play when the family members did not open the house door on Saturday morning, locals forced it open and called cops. All three were found dead.
Police spoke to Suresh’s brother and got to know that Harish had spent Rs 18 lakh by placing bets. “He suffered heavy losses in gambling. To place bets, he took more loans from various persons in the village. Harish was feeling the pressure,” sub-inspector Vamsi Krishna told STOI.
When Suresh and Hemalatha came to know about their son’s debts, they sold a plot to pay some of the loans. “However, there were some more loans to be cleared. Suresh’s brother told us that owing to the increasing debts, they may have taken the extreme step,” a police official said.
Suresh was into farming and ran a grocery store and Harish was taking care of his father’s store. Harish and his mother also started working for a caterer to earn some money to clear the debts, police added.