A 26-year-old restaurant worker was found dead at his residence in Madurai’s Sathamangalam on Sunday, February 5, after he lost a huge sum of money in online gambling. Gunaseelan, a resident of Arisipalayam in Salem district, discontinued his college education and was working at a restaurant in Madurai to pay his gambling debts.
He was in his third year of graduation when got involved in online gambling. His interest in gambling grew by the day and once, he spent his semester fees on online gambling and lost everything. Later, he had to discontinue his education to repay the loan and join a restaurant called New Mass in Madurai, where he worked as an assistant. However, he continued to spend more money on online gambling and reportedly told his co-workers that he recently lost almost Rs 2 lakh, and was desperate.
Distressed, Gunaseelan died by alleged suicide at his house in Sathamangalam on Sunday evening. His body was found by his younger brother when he tried to meet him at his residence. Later, he alerted the police. The Annanagar police recovered his body and sent it to Government Rajaji Hospital for postmortem. Police have registered the case under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (Police to enquire and report on suicide) and have initiated a probe.
In the recent past, Tamil Nadu has recorded a sharp increase in deaths due to online gambling. It is to be noted that this is happening as the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill awaits approval from governor RN Ravi. The Bill was passed in the Assembly on October 19, 2022. The governor had earlier conducted meetings with ministers and the representatives of the E-Gambling Federation (EGF) in the first week of December to discuss the Bill.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm)
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.