Online gambling addiction drives youth to kill cousin in Amritsar

A 20-year-old man in Amritsar, addicted to online gambling, allegedly murdered his cousin after being caught stealing to fund his habit.

Transcript

00:00A 20-year-old youth addicted to online gambling allegedly killed his 21-year-old cousin with a

00:05sharp-edged weapon in Mohkampur area of Amritsar on 20 May 2025. On the night of the incident,

00:10Sanjeev reportedly attempted to steal valuables from his cousin Nisha's room.

00:14When she caught him in the act, he stabbed her in the neck to prevent being exposed.

00:18According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Jisroop Korbat, Sanjeev was addicted

00:22to online gambling. A preliminary probe revealed that he had already lost over Rs 6 lakh in digital

00:27wagers. He sold off his motorcycle, even his mobile phone to pay off mounting debts. But when that

00:32wasn't enough, he turned to theft and ultimately murder. This is not an isolated incident. Across

00:38the country, families are being torn apart and lives are being lost due to the dangerous grip of

00:42online gambling. In February 2024, in Madhya Pradesh, a 23-year-old man from Indore murdered his own

00:48mother after she refused to give him money for online betting. He had accumulated debts exceeding

00:53Rs 10 lakh. In November 2024, in Gujarat, a 21-year-old student died by suicide after losing

00:59Rs 12 lakh on gambling apps. His family discovered the addiction only after his death.

01:04A 2023 study by the All India Gaming Federation reported that over 65% of online gamblers in the

01:10age group of 18-24 admitted to borrowing money or selling assets to continue playing. Many of these

01:16users are driven by misleading ads that promise quick wealth but often result in financial and

01:21emotional ruin. In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, state governments have banned

01:25online gambling platforms, citing over 70 deaths by suicide between 2020 and 2024, directly linked

01:31to gambling-related losses. This murder in Amritsar should not be seen in isolation. It is a part

01:36of a much bigger crisis that's spreading across India quietly, destructively and digitally.