Lure of quick money in online gaming turning youths into criminals; Odisha Police to create awareness

The online game addiction is proving deleterious for youths. They are turning into criminals after losing lakhs of rupees in online games. 

Inspector General (IG) of Police, Northern Range, Himanshu Lal shared this revelation while giving details to journalists about a bank loot case reported from the Bargarh area. 

He said the five youths arrested in Bargarh bank heist attempt don’t have any criminal antecedents. They attempted to loot the bank to repay Rs 12 lakhs they lost in online gaming. 

“Young men don’t hesitate to do crimes like robbery and snatching as they have been entangled in online gaming apps,” said Lal. 

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There are also instances in Bolangir district confirming youths turning criminals after losing money through online gaming apps. 

A month ago, postal assistant Purnachandra Bhoi and sub-postmaster Abhimanyu Chhatria of Bangomunda post office were sent to jail after misappropriating Rs 60 lakhs. Investigation revealed that after losing all their money in online gaming apps, they decided to misappropriate depositors’ money. They spent the money again in online games. 

“They think if they spend some money in online gaming apps, they will get something in return and then they will repay the money to the lenders. But they are caught in the vicious cycle,” said Bolangir SP, Rishikesh Khilari. 

The desire to become rich overnight has driven young men towards online games. As per the information shared by the Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, cyber criminals duped gullible people of Rs 11,333 crore across the nation between January 2024 and September 2024. 

As per information shared in the Odisha Assembly, cyber fraudsters duped people of Rs 125 crore in the state.

“Young men are being led astray through online games by misusing the internet. There should be a social awareness campaign to inform youths about the pros and cons of online game addiction,” said Pramod Mishra, senior advocate. 

Police DG Yogesh Bahadur Khurania ascribed this to a lack of awareness. 

“We are thinking of creating awareness and warning people to stay away from such activities,” said Khurania.