Police claim that Ranjitha wrote a suicide note in which she discussed the family’s experience with moneylenders harassing them.
Ranjitha, a 24-year-old housewife from Chitradurga, Karnataka, was discovered hanging at her home. Investigating her death, officials discovered a disturbing story about her husband Darshan Babu’s debt of almost ₹ 1.5 crore and cricket betting.
The police claim that Ranjitha left behind a suicide note in which she discussed the family’s experience with moneylender harassment and how it ultimately led to her death by suicide. According to a report in the Times of India, the police reportedly filed a complaint against 13 individuals after the event, three of them were named as Shivu, Girish, and Venkatesh. On March 18, Ranjitha was discovered hanging at her residence.
Venkatesh, Darshan Babu’s father-in-law, told TOI that although Darshan had paid back the majority of the loan, he still owed around 54 lakh.
“My son-in-law is not guilty.” The suspects coerced him into betting on cricket even though he didn’t want to since they said it was a simple way to become wealthy. The Times of India reported Venkatesh as stating. Additionally, he stated that the suspects pledged to pay for several blank checks to be used as collateral. “They promised to finance some blank cheques as security,” he said.
A year after being married to Ranjitha in 2021, Darshan Babu, an assistant engineer in the Hosadurga minor irrigation department, started betting. Darshan’s father-in-law claims that the promise of financial benefit is what enticed him to wager on cricket.
Darshan was persuaded that bidding on IPL matches would be a simple and low-risk way for him to make money. Presumably in his late 20s, the engineer gave in to temptation and started placing bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games. He increased his bets progressively after being successful at first.
Drawn in by the excitement of gambling, he was forced to take out loans at high interest rates and ended up with debts more than one crore. Darshan’s obligations were a big burden for the young couple and their two-year-old kid.
Suicides can be avoided. In the case that you or a loved one is going through a crisis or is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the closest suicide prevention hotline right once.
