In Lucknow, a mobile gaming addiction turned a son into a murderer. According to police, 20-year-old Nikhil Yadav, alias Golu, allegedly murdered his 45-year-old mother when she caught him stealing her jewelry. Nikhil committed the theft to compensate for heavy losses incurred through online gambling, police said on Monday.
Nikhil initially tried to mislead police, claiming that he and his mother were injured during a robbery at their home. In a joint operation by Lucknow’s PGI police station, the Surveillance Cell, and the South Zone Crime Team, the accused was arrested in Fatehpur. Stolen jewelry and other valuables were recovered from him.
Police say Nikhil lived with his family in the Kali area and was addicted to playing a mobile game called “Aviator,” available on tirangagamee games. He had lost a significant amount of money.
To repay his mounting debt, he took loans from apps like M Pokket, Flash Wallet, and RAM Fincorp, which charged him thousands of rupees in debt due to high interest rates and hidden fees.
When he couldn’t repay the loans on time, he began stealing jewelry from the house. On October 3, his mother, Reshma Yadav, caught him red-handed. A heated argument ensued, during which Nikhil allegedly beat her to death.
To conceal the murder, Nikhil staged a robbery and called his father, claiming he had been attacked by unknown assailants.
Police stated that the post-mortem revealed severe injuries on the woman’s body. During interrogation, Nikhil confessed to the murder, stating that he was frightened by his mother’s arrest and took the extreme step in anger.
According to DCP Nipun Aggarwal, CCTV footage and technical surveillance led to the arrest of the accused, who initially told police a false story.
A case has been registered against Nikhil under sections 103 (murder), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence and false statement to shield an offender), and 315 (misappropriation of property belonging to mother) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Further legal proceedings are underway. The Deputy Commissioner of Police has awarded a reward of ₹25,000 to the team that played a key role in solving this case.
