A 19-year-old youth from Hatadiha village of Keonjhar district, Odisha fled from his home after losing nearly Rs 24,000 from his father’s bank account playing online games. The youth fled from home fearing his father would scold him reported Odisha TV.

Khageswar Nayak had reportedly linked the bank account of his father, a farmer, to a money transferring app while playing Free Fire and Aqua Ludo games and lost Rs 23,775.

While his whereabouts are unknown, his family members launched a frantic search for him. “He lost all the money from the bank account while playing online games three days ago and fled from house out of fear. I appeal people to inform us immediately if anyone spots him anywhere,” said Trupti Rekha, a cousin of the Nayak said to Odisha TV.

The parents lodged a complaint with the Dhamnagar police station after failing to locate him. According to sources, Khageswar continued playing online gaming despite warnings from neighbours and relatives. He lost Rs 23,775 between November 2 and December 1. The matter came to light after his father Padmanav got his bank passbook updated recently.

It was also learnt that Nayak had borrowed money from his friends, sister and brother-in-law to fund his gaming addiction. “He played ludo and gradually spent all the money in small amounts. He fled from home when I asked him about the money. He is missing for the past three days,” said an anxious Padmanav, his father.

Online gaming in India and around the world has grown at a rapid pace, especially among children in the post Covid19 scenario. There have been instances of suicides among children due to gaming addiction. The Union Ministry of Education last week has warned parents and teachers against rising online gaming addiction among children.

Earlier, the Rajasthan government issued an advisory for parents and teachers suggesting measures to safeguard children from addiction to online gaming. The advisory issued by the Rajasthan Council of School Education details technical points which are helpful in monitoring the activities and involvement of the children in gaming. Whereas, Kerala announced digital de-addiction centers to curb online gaming addiction among kids. Last month, two teenagers committed suicide in Kerala due to gaming addiction.