Palampur youth ends life after losing money in cyber fraud

A 26-year-old youth from Maranda, a town 5 km from Palampur, ended his life by jumping from a railway bridge at Kalu Di Hatti yesterday. He was reportedly distraught after losing money in a cyber fraud.

The deceased, Abhishek Sood, was the only son of his parents and assisted his father in running a small electrical shop. According to information gathered by The Tribune, Abhishek had fallen victim to online fraud and had lodged a complaint at the local police station. He had been making continuous efforts to recover his lost money.

Family members said yesterday morning, Abhishek left home to meet officials of the cybercrime cell at the local mini secretariat regarding his case. However, after his meeting with the police, he did not return home. Instead, he got down from a cab at Kalu Di Hatti on NH 154, walked towards the railway track, and jumped from the railway bridge over Mol Khud. By the time local residents reached the spot, he had already succumbed to his injuries. His body was later taken to the local civil hospital for a postmortem.

Palampur SHO Bhupinder Singh Thakur, while speaking to The Tribune, stated that police had been investigating the case and had identified the fraudsters, who are from Jaipur. A police team is set to be dispatched to Jaipur soon to arrest the culprits. He assured Abhishek’s parents that the police would make every effort to recover the stolen money.

Expressing concern over the rising cases of cyber fraud and its impact on mental health, the SHO highlighted the risks of unmonitored internet exposure among youth. He urged parents to be vigilant about their children’s online activities and warned that cybercrime, including fraud and online harassment, is contributing to an increase in adolescent distress and suicide cases.

He also emphasised the importance of immediate reporting in cyber fraud cases, stating that victims must approach the police without delay to increase the chances of recovering the stolen money before it is transferred to overseas accounts.