They say you should only bet what you can afford to lose, and this is certainly true of one Indian man who lost his three-year-old son last week to a fellow gambler. Santosh Kumar, from a small village in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, had apparently experienced what all gamblers experience at least once in their careers – a lengthy losing streak. Instead of stepping away from the unspecified activity that was costing him so much money however, he offered up his three-year-old son as collateral, presumably without consulting his wife first. He duly lost and his opponent collected his prize – what a bizarre and horrifying turn of events.

Court Intervenes

Following the loss, the father, realizing what he had done, or more likely guessing what his other half would say, chased after his son and the ‘new’ father. A scuffle ensued, bringing out the rest of the village, before the matter was eventually placed in the hands of village ‘sarpanch’, who, in his pseudo-governmental position, convened an emergency session of the village court.
After hearing both arguments the child was returned to the biological father, at which point the sarpanch decreed that gambling was henceforth banned in the village with “severe punitive action” to be meted out to anyone who broke the new law. Presumably, however, this punishment would not be as punitive as that handed out by the offending father’s wife. So, child returned, gambling banned, story complete.

A Six-pack of Punishment

Not quite. Not satisfied with a public apology from both men to the entire village, the sarpanch had one final act of restitution he wanted the men to perform – the winning gambler was ordered to perform twenty-five sit ups, while the losing father was ordered to perform fifty.
It could be seen as unfortunate for the father that gambling in Muzaffarpur has now been banned. Otherwise, he could have ended up with a peaceful house, more money in his pocket, and rock-hard abs – but probably no wife as a result.