MALDA: In an extraordinary near-rerun of the Mahabharata, a gambler staked his 18-year-old daughter — as Yudhisthir did with wife Draupadi in the
epic — after losing everything he had in a game of cards.

The incident occurred in Satgharia village under English bazar police station on Wednesday. Locals said Ismail, who is in his late 30s, lost all his money to Mustafa Sheik from the neighbouring village of Sultanpur.

A desperate Ismail said he would continue playing and staked his daughter. As luck would have it, Mustafa beat him again and walked away with the protesting girl, a class XI student.

Witnesses informed the village and the panchayat and a group of people went to Sultanpur, the next day to bring the girl home.

On hearing the story, Ismail’s angry father, Naimuddin, threw him out of the house. Ismail’s wife said she was worried about her daughter’s future. Malda police said they were investigating the incident.

Panchayat member Saidur Rahaman said Ismail was “a known gambler...But this time he crossed all limits.” Hooch addiction and gambling have long been a problem in villages in the area.