'Never knew games on phone could kill people': 7 Telangana youths die over losses in online betting

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Telangana has reported seven deaths linked to financial losses from banned online betting platforms in a month since Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to crack down on digital gambling.

According to the police, six individuals died by suicide, and one was allegedly murdered by a fellow betting addict. All victims were under the age of 26.

The latest case involved K Pavan, an MTech student from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, who died by suicide on April 17. According to the police, he lost over Rs 2.65 lakh on online betting platforms. His brother-in-law, B Srikanth, said Pavan started gambling during the current IPL season. “He used the Slice app, Chrome, and placed bets through Lucky Kismat and JDB Gaming,” he said.

Pavan’s father, K Pedda Narsimhulu, a farmer, asserted that he had no idea about the scale of his son's gambling habit. “He mentioned betting losses during Ugadi. I gave him Rs 1 lakh to help him recover. But I did not realise he had already become addicted. He probably did not share the full extent of his troubles with me,” TOI quoted Narsimhulu as saying.

In another case, 25-year-old Somesh died by suicide after losing his savings, including Rs 2 lakh set aside for his sister’s wedding. On April 1, 22-year-old K Akash from Nizamabad also took his life after losing Rs 5 lakh across two platforms. His wife had given birth just six months earlier.

Akash consumed pesticide on March 26 and succumbed to it on April 1, leaving behind his six-month-old son and elderly parents.

According to his father, Akash had become addicted to online betting and had taken loans to place bets. “On the day he consumed poison, he had lost Rs 20,000,” Gangaram was quoted by TNIE. “We never knew there were games on the phone that could kill people. We only learnt the truth after he was hospitalised,” he added.

Other deaths have been reported from Uppal, Secunderabad, and Godavarikhani. Police said most victims had taken loans from friends or through lending apps and had pledged personal items such as motorcycles and phones. Collectively, the seven victims are estimated to have lost over Rs 20 lakh.

Notably, online betting is banned in Telangana. However, users continue to access these platforms via VPNs. “We have met with 133 registered betting companies. While they have geo-fenced access from Telangana, VPNs are helping users bypass these controls. Many are also betting through unregulated foreign, especially Chinese sites,” said an SIT official.

Authorities are working to block content promoting betting apps. Currently, 70 related cases are under investigation, including four high-profile ones now being handled by the SIT.

CM Revanth Reddy had recently pledged strict measures against those using online betting apps. “It’s not just about money — it’s about young lives being lost,” he had said.