Chennai college student dies by suicide after losing savings on a gambling app

The 20-year-old student’s death comes two days after the Madras High Court urged the government to put forward laws to regulate online gambling.
silhouette of a man
silhouette of a man
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A 20-year-old college student from TP Chathram area in Chennai’s Kilpauk neighbourhood died by suicide on Sunday after losing all his savings in an online gambling app. In his suicide note, the youth names the app Casto Club on which he had lost his savings, and said that he went into depression as a result of losing the money. 

The student’s death comes two days after the Madras High Court urged the government to put forward laws to regulate online gambling.

Nithish Kumar, a final-year student at a private arts college in Chennai, worked at a tattoo studio in Aminjikarai. On Sunday evening, Nithish left home on the pretext of work. When his parents tried reaching him even after he did not return home after 10 pm that evening, they sent Nithish’s younger brother to go check on him.

A police officer from Aminjikarai police station says, “The brother saw Nithish’s bike parked outside the tattoo studio. It is located inside an apartment and the brother assumed Nithish to have fallen asleep inside. In the morning when he didn’t return, the family tried calling his phone number and found it to be switched off. Worried, they called the owner and went along with him to the tattoo studio where they found him dead.” Nithish’s body has been sent to Kilpauk Medical College for postmortem.

He also mentions in his final note that having lost his savings, he took Rs 20,000 from the tattoo studio and lost that amount as well. Nithish apologised to the owner for taking money from the workplace.

On the Casto Club app, users can bet on colours and numbers and if the same appear on screen, they win multiples of the amount they’ve bet.

Late on Monday evening, Chennai police arrested actor Shaam and 12 others allegedly for holding an illegal gambling party at the former’s residence in Nungambakkam. Shaam and the others were let off on bail that same evening and police seized gambling tokens and cards from the house.

On Friday, alarmed at youth getting trapped in online gaming, the Madras High Court suggested to the Tamil Nadu government that it enact suitable laws to regulate the online gaming industry. The court cited laws of various states regulating online gaming, including the Telangana Gaming (Amendment) Act 2017 that prohibits all forms of gaming for money, be it games of skill or games of chance. The court said that it was not against virtual games but the lack of a regulatory body to monitor and regulate legal gaming activities, be it in the real world or the virtual world, was a matter that needed to be considered immediately.

The court also said the government should take the views of the stakeholders before passing a legislation in this regard.

(With IANS inputs)

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 suppport 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)

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