VADODARA: The pleasure of online ludo game turned intensely bitter for a couple after the man mercilessly thrashed his wife who defeated him consecutively in the game.The 24-year-old woman suffered severe spinal cord injuries and had to be hospitalized recently.According to the counsellors of 181 Abhayam helpline, the woman, who gives tuition at her house in Vemali to contribute to the family income.Wanting her husband to stay indoors instead of spending time with others in their society, she coaxed him to play ludo on the mobile phone. He agreed to play, but his wife defeated him consecutively for three to four rounds in the game.“A sore loser, he started arguing with with his wife and the verbal duel turned ugly. He started beating her with such ferocity that the woman developed a gap between two of her vertebrae,” said a counsellor from 181 Abhayam.“His ego was hurt thinking that wife outsmarted him and was more intelligent as she also contributed to the family income,” said the counsellor.The man works in a private electronics company and earns enough to sustain both of them. However, as they have to pay instalments of their home loan, the woman started started giving tuitions at home and did a beautician’s course.The woman was taken to an orthopaedic surgeon and after treatment she decided to go to her parents’ home instead of living with her husband,” the counsellor said. “But before that she wanted to go to her home to collect some documents. We then counselled them both,” the counsellor added.Project coordinator Chandrakant Makwana said, “Our counsellors give options to the women whether they want to lodge a police complaint or settle the issue. In this case since the husband apologized and the woman did not wish to register an offence, so we counselled to live to together and the consequences about marital discord.”The man was warned that physical torture is a crime and he can be arrested for the crime if she would complain to the police. “He agreed and apologized to the woman. She too agreed to return to him after spending a few days with her parents,” the counsellor said.A written undertaking about it was also taken from the couple.