Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), May 10: Following a preliminary investigation by Jharsuguda police, the mysterious demise of three family members in Odisha’s Jharsuguda appears to be linked to mounting debt and substantial financial losses in online betting.
Prompted by a missing person report filed by Ajit Ray, authorities initiated a search operation for his brother, Sujit Ray (37), sister-in-law Khusboo Ray (27), and their 12-year-old daughter Arpita, who had left home in the afternoon but failed to return by late Wednesday.
The trio was discovered with gunshot wounds inside a car near Banipahada, situated under Lakhanpur police limits in Brajarajnagar of Jharsuguda district. Police recovered a locally made pistol, three bullets, and a mobile phone from the vehicle, which was running with the engine and air conditioner activated. Sujit was found in the driver’s seat, while Khusboo and their daughter were blindfolded with cloth.
Initial investigations suggest that Sujit allegedly first harmed his wife and daughter before taking his own life. Sujit, an engineer by profession, was reportedly burdened with significant debts, attributed largely to substantial financial losses incurred through online betting activities.
“Analysis of mobile call records indicates the individual’s involvement in online gambling via various mobile applications. From just one of the scrutinized apps, his losses exceeded Rs 4.2 lakh. Additionally, he had borrowed money from multiple sources, including private lenders, to fuel his online betting endeavors,” stated Jharsuguda SP Smit Parmar to Hindustan Times.
Notably, the couple’s three-year-old younger daughter was present at home during the tragic incident.
