Three young men have been arrested in Kerala's Kottayam district for allegedly threatening a schoolboy and forcing him to steal 24 sovereigns of gold jewellery worth approximately ₹24 lakh from his own house. The incident took place in Pampady, where the accused allegedly exploited their acquaintance with the teenager to carry out the theft over several months.
According to police, the victim is a 15-year-old Class 9 student. The three accused, identified as Ansal Muhammad, Nidhin Nishad and Shebin Abraham, all residents of Pampady, are aged around 18. They were reportedly former students of the school where the boy is currently studying and had also become acquainted with him through a tuition centre.
Investigators said the accused initially developed a friendship with the boy before allegedly beginning to threaten him. Since the first week of March, they had reportedly been pressuring him to bring gold ornaments from his mother's collection. The threats allegedly included implicating the boy and his parents in false cases and killing members of his family if he refused to cooperate.
Frightened by the threats, the teenager allegedly began taking jewellery from an almirah at his house and handing it over to the accused in several instalments. The stolen ornaments included bangles, chains, necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets, collectively weighing 24 sovereigns and valued at around ₹24 lakh.
The theft came to light when the boy's mother recently checked her jewellery collection and discovered that several ornaments were missing. While the family was preparing to approach the police, the teenager reportedly revealed what had happened and explained how he had been forced to hand over the jewellery.
The situation reportedly escalated when the accused allegedly demanded more money from the boy and instructed him to sell his bicycle to arrange the amount. This prompted the teenager to disclose the entire incident to his parents.
Following a complaint lodged by the boy's father, Pampady police registered a case and launched an investigation. The three accused were arrested on Sunday.
Police are now investigating what happened to the stolen gold and whether the jewellery was sold or transferred to anyone else. The accused are also being questioned as part of the investigation.
The incident has highlighted the growing concerns surrounding threats, blackmail and the exploitation of schoolchildren by people known to them.
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