Panicked after losing father's savings in online gaming, UP boy dies by suicide

The 13-year-old boy from UP's Lucknow had exhausted his father's savings of ₹14 lakh in online gaming

A 13-year-old boy from Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow reportedly died by suicide on Monday after losing his father's savings of ₹14 lakh in an online game.

The minor's father filed a complaint with the bank after finding out that no money was left in his account.

PTI quoted the police saying that the deceased boy, a student of class 6th, took the extreme step after his father found out from his bank branch that there was no money left in his account.

The boy's father returned home after lodging a complaint with the bank manager, and narrated the matter to his family, the police said. Upon hearing this, the boy panicked and went to his room on pretext of studying where he was found hanging later by his sister.

The family rushed to his room after hearing the girl's cries and brought the boy down. He was taken to a community health centre where doctors declared him dead. The minor's body has been sent for post-portem, the police said. According to reports, the boy's father worked as a painter and had deposited around ₹13 lakhs in his bank account after selling a plot of land.

Addiction to online gaming claimed another life in Lucknow late last month where an 18-year-old died by suicide. In a suicide note, the teenager had written about his struggles to manage academics despite trying to overcome his addiction to online gaming. India Today reported that he feared that gambling in online gaming could cause him financial troubles for his family.

Over the last few years, several cases of teenage suicides over online gaming have emerged. In fact, the Parliament recently cleared a legislation that prohibits all forms of online money games including those offering cash rewards or virtual currencies convertible into money. Under the Act, providing online money gaming services carries penalties of up to three years imprisonment and fines reaching Rs1 crore. Advertising such platforms could result in two-year jail terms and fines up to ₹50 lakh.

While hailing the move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that several online games were negatively influencing the students and that the future of the youth must be safeguarded.