A 31-year-old businessman from Pilibhit, Bareilly took his own life on Thursday, September 7 due to losses incurred in online rummy. The man took the drastic step by jumping into a feeder canal of the Sharda river.

The victim is identified as Amit Kumar Gupta, hailing from the Kalinagar town in Pilibhit district. Speaking on the incident, Madhotanda police station SHO Achal Kumar said, “The deceased was addicted to online rummy, and he borrowed Rs 5–6 lakh from friends but suffered losses. His family ties also suffered.”

As per The Times of India, Gupta jumped off of Kalinagar-Madhotanda road bridge. Local divers were unable to find his dead body. The next day, the divers of Sashastra Seema Bal’s (SSB) 49th battalion were able to locate and recover his body.

News about people taking harsh actions after losing money on online games are not uncommon. In fact, the Tamil Nadu government decided to ban all forms of online gaming last year due to increasing addiction and suicide rate in the state.

Some other states have also taken a strict stance against online rummy and similar activities. The citizens have also taken the matter in their own hands by protesting in creative ways.

People in Maharashtra are criticizing Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn for promoting online rummy. One person wrote a letter to the actor asking him how much he had won playing online rummy as he is promoting it to his fans. Another person from Nashik started a campaign called “Bheek Maango Andolan for Ajay Devgn” to stop him from promoting online rummy.

The protests have also been supported by a Shiv Sena member in Pune, led by the ‘Potraja’ tribal community.