Udaipur, April 7: A shocking incident has emerged from Banswara, Rajasthan, where a government teacher was pushed into a life of crime due to an addiction to online gaming. The second-grade teacher, Vikesh Kumar, demanded a ransom of ₹1.40 crore from two traders. However, the police acted swiftly, reviewing over 300 CCTV footages to apprehend the accused.
According to Superintendent of Police Sudhir Joshi, Vikesh Kumar, stationed at the Government Higher Secondary School in Chudada, had been addicted to online gaming for a long time. During this period, he lost millions and fell into a debt of approximately ₹80 lakh. To repay his debts, he took out multiple loans in his name, pawned his relatives’ jewelry, and even secured a loan of about ₹30 lakh in his wife’s name.
When the situation spiraled out of control, he devised a plan to pose as a fake gangster and extort money from the traders. The accused surveilled the traders and sent threatening letters on March 30, demanding ₹90 lakh from one trader and ₹50 lakh from another, threatening to kill their families if they did not comply.
To collect the ransom, he instructed the traders to leave the money under a neem tree in a secluded area of the Bhoyan Valley, allowing him to escape easily.
Following a complaint on March 31, the Rajtalab police examined around 300 CCTV cameras at the city’s entry and exit points. By tracking movements, they identified and arrested him from Timbah Mahudi village in Kushalgarh.
The police are now conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. This incident highlights the dangerous consequences of online gaming addiction and the burden of debt.