Coimbatore: Cop commits suicide after heavy losses in online rummy game

Coimbatore: A policeman identified as Kalimuthu (29) attached to the Coimbatore armed city force committed suicide by shooting himself in the abdomen. The victim’s friends and relatives have accused the online rummy game to which he was addicted of being the reason, as reported by news agency IANS.

Kalimuthu had borrowed more than Rs 20 lakh from acquaintances, relatives, and friends, and had been playing online rummy games in which he incurred heavy losses and debts. The policeman had promised to repay his lenders the money he owed as early as possible but was unable to fulfil his promises.

The incident took place when 32 government departments had set up stalls to show their products and schemes in an exhibition at Gandhipuram, Coimbatore. The police stall at the exhibition was displaying its weapons in the stall and Kalimuthu was on duty. When Kalimuthu was alone on duty on Friday he took an SLR gun from the display and shot himself in the abdomen, reported IANS.

A senior police officer attached with the Coimbatore city police said that the bullet went through the abdomen and came out through his back. His colleagues who rushed to the spot after hearing the gunshot saw Kalimuthu lying in a pool of blood and rushed him to a private hospital in Coimbatore where doctors took him in for surgery. However, the bullet had already damaged his kidney and he did not respond to medicines and succumbed to his injuries early this morning. Kalimuthu, who hailed from Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu, is survived by his wife Salai Thillanaikai and two children aged 4 and 3 years, reported IANS.