Harassed by bookies, 36-year-old Ulhasnagar man commits suicide

Ashoklal Sharma, Pic/Navnet Barbhate

A 36-year-old man from Ulhasnagar committed suicide by hanging himself with a nylon rope in a hotel room, police said on Thursday.

Ashoklal Sharma, Pic/Navnet Barbhate

According to the police the deceased identified as Amit Ashoklal Sharma alias Maharaj is a real estate agent based in Ulhasnagar who took interest in betting.

Sources close to the deceased said that he had suffered monetary losses after betting on Asia Cup India-Pakistan cricket match and that he committed suicide as the bookies were harassing him for cash.

There was a water and electricity cut in Ulhasnagar, so Sharma went to Seema hotel.

An officer from central police station said, "He rented the room no 303 of the lodge and was taking rest. On Wednesday afternoon, the waiter from the hotel knocked the door for lunch, but there was no response even after repeated attempts. Assuming that Sharma would be asleep, the waiter went away. The same thing happened when the waiter went to check for dinner. Suspicous, the waiter then informed the owner who then reported the matter to the central police station."

The central police have registered a case of accidental death case on Wednesday night and are probing the matter. "We have registered a case of accidental death case and are investigating the matter. We are yet to take the statement of the family members as they are still under shock," said AV. Saigaonkar, Senior Police Inspector, Central police station.

Even though the police did not find any suicide note from the spot, sources said that they have found an affidavit of Rs 50 that clearly stated that he had taken a loan. "Maharaj used to bet on cricket matched and in the last India-Pakistan match, he had bet in lakhs. The bookies were harassing him to get the cash he had lost the bet," said a source close to Maharaj.