After undergoing seven months of counselling to overcome his gambling addiction, a techie employed at a leading software company reunited with his family in Bengaluru. His wife, who is also a techie, along with their children, had previously separated from him upon discovering his gambling problem, which had resulted in the loss of their savings amounting to Rs 70 lakh. Vikas, a resident of the CV Raman Nagar area in Bengaluru, developed a penchant for gambling during his teenage years when he started placing bets on local cricket matches. It eventually transformed into a full-blown addiction as he began his career in an IT firm in Bengaluru. In 2014, he tied the knot and subsequently became the father of two girls.
In 2022, Vikas's wife accidentally discovered his addiction to playing online rummy, which had significantly impacted his focus on work and family matters. After realising that he had lost a substantial amount of Rs 70 lakh from their savings due to gambling, she chose to leave their home with their two children and sought refuge at her mother's place. She also filed a formal complaint at a nearby police station, highlighting her husband's online rummy addiction and the considerable financial losses incurred as a result.
In October 2022, Parihar, an initiative by the Bengaluru City Police focusing on women's welfare, extended an invitation to the woman involved in the case to engage in a discussion regarding the matter. During the meeting, she expressed the severity of the situation, highlighting the immense financial strain and emotional distress she and her children were experiencing. Consequently, Vikas was summoned to appear at Parihar, held at the Malleswaram police station.
"Initially, he was indifferent and irritated by his wife's complaint to the cops and insisted that she and the kids return home. But with her standing her ground that she would not do so unless he kicked the online gambling habit, he gradually started to come around. He broke down and said he wanted to win back his family and put an end to his addiction," Rani Shetty told TOI, who conducted numerous counselling sessions with Vikas. Vikas was also sent to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences for tech de-addiction therapy after several sessions with Rani.
"The wife was extremely happy about his improvement over the seven months and the husband finally declared himself free of online gambling addiction as he walked into my office this week, hand in hand with his wife," the senior counsellor of Parihar, told Times of India. Vikas has now also converted his bank account into a joint one with his spouse.