Classmates, goons bully schoolboy into stealing from 'rich' dad

Bragging about his father’s affluence proved costly and traumatic for a class 10 boy. His schoolmates ganged up with local musclemen and bullied him into stealing cash and gold from home for more than a year.

The police have registered a case of extortion, putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion and assault.

The boy’s parents were shocked when they found him stealing two gold rings recently. They initially thought he had stolen the jewellery to treat his friends and splurge on luxurious goods. But alarm bells started ringing when the boy stopped going to school and threatened to kill himself, fearing being tortured by his tormentors.

The boy’s 42-year-old father owns multiple businesses, including flower trading and construction and runs a polyhouse materials factory. The family lives in Krishnappa Layout, Bhuvaneshwari Nagar, near Hebbal.

The boy and his younger sibling study in a private school in Kanakanagar.

It all started last year when the boy, who was in class 9, bragged to his schoolmates about how wealthy his family is. He said his father has many businesses and drives a Toyota Fortuner.

Two of his classmates, both 16-year-olds, teamed up with local musclemen aged 22-25 and decided to extort money from the victim by threatening and assaulting him. Over the past year, they got him to steal more than Rs 3 lakh and two gold rings from home.

The boy’s father brought home lakhs of rupees earned from the day’s flower business and deposited it into the bank the following day. The boy stole Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 each time, which his family couldn’t notice.

The first red flag came six months ago when the boy’s father noticed some cash missing. Then, in October, the boy stole two gold rings that his mother intended to wear for a wedding. When she questioned him, the boy confessed and said he had given the rings to his classmates. He said they were in trouble and would return the rings soon.

The parents then stopped keeping cash in the house and even took away their boys’ phones. They also began dropping them off and picking them up from school. Unable to steal money, the boy told his mother 10 days ago he won’t attend school but help his father in the business instead.

It took counselling from his parents and relatives for the boy to open up about the extortion.

The boy also told them how a classmate told him that a muscleman had given “supari” to get him, his brother and his parents killed.

The muscleman also said they would surrender before the police and bribe their way through bail.

The boy threatened to kill himself when his parents asked more questions. “My wife and I have been guarding my son round the clock for the past 10 days so that he doesn’t kill himself. He hasn’t even stepped out of home,” the father told DH.

He continued: “I am not worried about the money. I am only concerned that they threatened him so badly that he is thinking of killing himself. They even threatened my son on Instagram. They sent him photos of daggers and threatened to kill him with them.”

The father said one of his son’s classmates claimed to be the son of a rowdy while another’s uncle is also a rowdy.