Gaming debt pushes man to poison wife and daughter:2 dead, mother in ICU; police launches probe

“Papa brought a two-litre bottle of Coca-Cola. He gave two glasses each to Mum and me. He filled two glasses and drank them himself. He told us to keep the remaining cold drink for Anshu when he returned. After some time, our condition began to worsen.” This statement was given by 16-year-old Swati Gupta to the police before her death on Thursday morning. Her mother, Rajkumari Gupta (38), is currently admitted to the ICU at Shahdol Medical College. Meanwhile, her father, Shankar Lal (40), died later on Thursday night. Neighbours said Swati had called them and told them, “Papa has made us drink something, please save us.” Initially, they did not realise the seriousness of the situation. However, when the victims began vomiting and a strong smell was noticed, and their condition deteriorated rapidly, they were rushed to hospital. According to police, Shankar Lal, a resident of the old settlement area of Shahdol, allegedly gave poison to his wife and daughter on the night of 24 February and then consumed it himself. During treatment, Swati died first, followed by Shankar Lal. Rajkumari Gupta remains in critical condition. Son says father was under stress due to financial losses Fifteen-year-old son Aniket said his father had been under severe stress due to financial difficulties. He revealed that his father was addicted to playing the online game ‘BDG’ and had lost around ₹4 lakh while playing. He had also borrowed money from several people, which further increased the family’s financial burden. Shankar Lal, who once ran his own mobile phone shop, was later forced to shut it down due to losses and had been running a small roadside stall to support the family. After performing the last rites of his sister on Thursday, Aniket also carried out his father’s funeral rites. He has been deeply distressed and emotionally shaken since the incident. Had lost 50 thousand a day before Shankarlal lived with his family in Purani Basti in Kotwali police station area. His daughter Swati was an 11th grade student. Her exams were about to start in a few days. Shankarlal’s nephew Rajeev Gupta said that uncle previously worked at Baba Mobile in Shahdol. During this time, he got addicted to online gaming. He started playing online games called ‘BDG’ and Aviator by betting money. Later he opened his own shop called Baba Mobile in Anuppur. Due to online gaming addiction, the Anuppur shop had to be closed. Uncle had already lost more than four lakh rupees After that, he came to Shahdol and started selling electronic goods and mobile accessories on a table near Ganj on the road. He had already lost about four lakh rupees in online gaming. On Monday, his uncle had lost 50 thousand rupees. He raised another 20 thousand rupees. After this, he started living under more stress. His uncle had also received death threats. Left son at friend’s shop Aniket is a 10th grade student, his board exams are going on. On Tuesday, Shankarlal himself went to get him to write his paper. After noon, he took him towards the market. He made his son sit at his friend Satish’s shop. He left saying he was going to have tea. After that, he came home with cold drinks. Then the daughter and mother asked where Aniket was. He said that he was sitting at Satish’s shop. Police believe that he deliberately left Aniket behind, meaning he did not want to kill his son. Daughter called father’s friend, said: Please save us When their condition began to deteriorate after consuming the cold drink, Swati first called her father’s friend Satish, at whose shop her brother Aniket was present. She told him that their father had made them drink something, after which both she and her mother started vomiting continuously. Hearing this, Satish and Aniket immediately rushed to the house. Aniket then informed his cousin, while Satish closed his shop and reached the spot. They found Swati and her mother vomiting in the courtyard, while Shankar Lal was lying unconscious on the roof. ‘If I win big once, I’ll recover everything’ According to Shankar Lal’s close acquaintances, he had been repeatedly advised by friends and family, including Satish, to stop playing online games. However, he remained convinced that a single big win would help him recover all his losses. This belief kept him trapped in the cycle of gambling. He continued borrowing money and investing it in the game, which caused severe distress to the family. Son performs two last rites ahead of exam Aniket has an examination scheduled for Friday. Amid the hospital emergency and family tragedy, he performed his sister’s last rites first. The following day, after his father’s postmortem, he also carried out his father’s funeral. Family members said it was heartbreaking to see a child, who should have been focused on his studies, instead performing the last rites of both his sister and father. Two-and-a-half-year addiction driven by urge to ‘recover losses’ Family members said Shankar Lal had been addicted to online gaming for nearly two-and-a-half years. He was influenced by stories of people winning large sums, such as earning ₹8 lakh from a ₹8,000 bet. After suffering losses, he would increase his stakes in an attempt to recover previous amounts, creating a vicious cycle. He took loans from banks and also borrowed money from relatives and acquaintances. One relative said he had asked for ₹60,000, but they refused, fearing the money would be used for gaming. Mother stable but repeatedly asking to see her children Shankar Lal’s wife, who is admitted to the ICU at Shahdol Medical College, has shown some improvement since Thursday morning. Family members said she was extremely distressed and repeatedly tried to remove her oxygen support during the night, forcing doctors to restrain her hands and feet for her safety. Since regaining partial stability, she has been repeatedly asking to see her son and daughter, unaware of the full extent of the tragedy. Police seize mobile phone, forensic report awaited Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. The victim’s mobile phone has been seized as part of the probe. Preliminary findings suggest financial distress and losses in online gaming as the primary cause behind the incident. Officials said further clarity will emerge after the forensic report is received.