‘Betting is suicidal once you’ve incurred debts’

The mass suicide in Naroda is a chilling reminder of a similar incident that took place on November 4, when 27-year old Dipesh Patel shot himself dead at Parth Apartment in Panchvati.
Patel was debt-ridden to the tune of Rs70 lakh, and was under tremendous pressure from his creditors. Similar was the case of the Naroda suicide victims as well, who were being haunted by money-lenders. 

The Gujarat University police, who are investigating Patel's case, are yet to find out the creditors who forced him to commit suicide. According to police inspector SJ Vaghasia, the money lenders cannot be found without the help of the deceased's parents. However, Patel's parents are unwilling to divulge anything.
Patel was, in fact, an alleged bookie and had been in the business since years. He had rented a flat in Parth Apartments for the sole purpose of betting. According to cops, people in the betting world hardly forgive anyone when it comes to money.

"Money is what drives them. Therefore, if somebody is in debt, it's suicidal until and unless he clears it as soon as possible," said a top cop who requested not to be quoted.

In fact, cases of gambling are frequently detected in metros like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi, but of late, these have seen a rise in the city as well.

"Several cases never become public, as parents and relatives deliberately do not approach the police, on account of the social stigma. That is why we often do not get to know of all such cases. But we (the cops) know for a fact that losses in betting usually prove suicidal," the police official said.

According to cops, even in the Naroda case, the family was being hounded by creditors since the last many months.