A man from Kilavanpudur village, near Anaimalai in Pollachi, has allegedly died by suicide after losing money in online gambling. Sabanayagam, a 35-year-old car dealer, had become addicted to online betting on Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches and online rummy. He was found dead in a private lodge near Gandhipuram on Saturday morning. According to reports, he had been staying at his sister's residence in Saravanampatti for the past few days before visiting the private lodge on the seventh street extension at Gandhipuram area on Friday at 2.10 am and taking a room for a day.
Early investigation revealations
Hotel staff found the room locked from the inside on Saturday morning, and when there was no response despite knocking several times, they opened the room using a spare key and found him dead. The Rathinapuri police visited the spot and sent the body to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for postmortem.
During the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that Sabanayagam had borrowed money from several people and lost it in online gambling and betting. He was reportedly facing a debt burden of around ₹ 90 lakhs and had continued to gamble even amid this crisis. After moneylenders began questioning him, he moved to Saravanampatti, but he continued to invest money in gambling, said a senior police officer.
Further investigation underway
The investigation is underway to verify the exact amount that Sabanayagam had lost in online gambling and the money he had borrowed from others. The police are also investigating whether he had any other issues that could have led him to take such an extreme step.
To overcome suicidal thoughts, people can contact the health department's helpline at 104 or the Vidiyal helpline run by the Coimbatore police at 0422-2300999.
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