20-Year-Old Gaming Addict Murders Mother After Being Caught Stealing Jewelry to Cover Online Gambling Debts

A 20-year-old gaming addict in Lucknow has allegedly murdered his 45-year-old mother after she discovered him stealing her jewelry to cover debts from online gaming losses, according to police reports released Monday.

Nikhil Yadav, also known as Golu, attempted to deceive investigators by claiming that both he and his mother had been victims of a home invasion. Authorities later apprehended him in Fatehpur district through a coordinated effort involving Lucknow's PGI police station, surveillance team, and South Zone crime unit. The stolen gold jewelry and valuables were recovered during his arrest.

Police investigations revealed that Nikhil, a resident of the Kalli area, had developed a severe addiction to online gaming, particularly to "Aviator" on tirangagamee.games, where he experienced substantial financial losses. To cover these losses, he had taken multiple loans through digital lending platforms including M Pokket, Flash Wallet, and RAM Fincorp, accumulating significant debt with high interest and hidden charges.

Facing immense pressure from repayment deadlines, Nikhil began stealing jewelry from his home. The fatal incident occurred on October 3 when his mother, Reshma Yadav, caught him in the act of taking her ornaments. DCP (Lucknow South) Nipun Agarwal informed reporters that the confrontation escalated into a heated argument, during which Nikhil allegedly bludgeoned his mother to death.

Following the murder, Nikhil deliberately ransacked the house to stage it as a robbery. He then contacted his father with a fabricated story claiming unknown intruders had broken in and attacked both him and his mother, explained Agarwal, who was accompanied by Additional DCP Ralapalli Vasanth Kumar and ACP Rishabh Runwal during the briefing.

The postmortem examination confirmed multiple injuries on the victim's body. During questioning, Nikhil admitted to the murder, stating that he had acted impulsively when his mother caught him stealing. According to Agarwal, "Technical surveillance and CCTV footage helped trace the accused, who initially tried to mislead the police with a fabricated version of the crime."

Authorities have charged the accused under multiple sections of the BNS including Section 103 (murder), Section 238 (causing disappearance of evidence, false statements to shield offender), and Section 315 (dishonest misappropriation of property belonging to mother). Legal proceedings continue as the investigation progresses.

The deputy police commissioner has rewarded the investigating team with Rs 25,000 for their successful resolution of the case.