Ugandan man kills self after losing bet in Arsenal game
Police in Mbarara, Uganda are investigating a case in which a soccer fan is said to have committed suicide following Arsenal Football Club’s loss to Monaco last Wednesday.
Deus Ruhindi, a resident of Kakiika, Mbarara district, is said to have hanged himself after he lost a betting stake worth Ush500,000 (approximately Ksh1,600) when Monaco walloped Arsenal 3-1 in a Uefa champions league fixture.
His body was on Friday found hanging on an avocado tree in the family banana plantation.
An eyewitness said the Friday tragedy resulted from a betting that went wrong.
BODABODA RIDER
Ruhindi, a bodaboda rider, had reportedly used his employer’s money to bet.
Upon receiving the bad news (from the bet), the deceased is said to have moved back to his home village and committed suicide.
The witnesses said Ruhindi, an orphan, had narrated his story to some of his relatives – many of whom condemned him.
He became more depressed when his guardians reportedly rebuked him and vowed not to help him pay the debt.
SUICIDE NOTE
The deceased left behind a suicide note explaining why he committed suicide. In it, he requested his relatives to pay his debt.
Local Police were called at the scene and allowed relatives to carry on with the burial.
Ruhinda’s ordeal is another of the many suicide and stress related cases arising from betting and passionate cheering of sports events.
The stories of people staking household property, cheaply selling off valuables to raise money for betting and husbands staking wives and children are common in Uganda.
(Courtesy of The Monitor)