May 02, 2024 05:26 AM IST
Rajarajeshwari Nagar police inspector Markandeya ST said the extortion started in October last year when the two classmates came to know about the victim’s addiction
Four people were arrested and two minors detained for allegedly extorting jewellery and cash worth ₹41 lakh from a Class 10 student of a private school in Bengaluru by threatening to inform his parents about his addiction to online gaming, police said on Wednesday after recovering 302 grams of gold and ₹23.5 lakh from the accused.
The two minors were classmates of the victim and the four arrested accused were identified as Vivek (19) from KHB Colony near Kengeri, Veman (20) from VBHCS layout in RR Nagar, Sunil (28) and Karthik (30) from Gangavati taluk of Koppal district.
HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now!
According to officials, the arrests were made following a complaint by the victim’s father, a real estate businessman residing in RR Nagar. They said the student informed them that he was addicted to online games such as PUBG and Dream-11 and the two classmates knew about it.
“They threatened to inform his parents about the addiction and about the money he had lost if he failed to pay them,” a police officer aware of the investigation said.
Rajarajeshwari Nagar police inspector Markandeya ST said the extortion started in October last year when the two classmates came to know about the victim’s addiction.
“Initially, the two minor individuals, aged about 16 years, threatened the victim, studying in the 10th grade, that they would inform his parents that he was losing thousands of rupees in the game. The victim started stealing gold jewellery from the house and handed it over to the minor accused,” Markandeya said.
“One minor accused is a native of Koppal, while the other is from Kengeri. The minors then handed over the jewellery to the adults known to them, who sold the gold and made money. They also gave a small amount to the minor accused. We have registered a case under IPC Section 384 (extortion by threat), 504 (intentional insult), and 506 (threat to life) and produced the accused before the court, which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days,” he added.
The minors were produced before the juvenile justice board, according to police.
In fear of blackmail, the student resorted to stealing gold jewellery from his home and handing it over to his classmates over a span of six months. The extortion scheme came apart when the victim’s mother noticed the missing jewellery, prompting the family to file a police complaint.
Commissioner B Dayanand emphasised the importance of parental vigilance in monitoring their children’s online footprint and educating them about the risks associated with gaming.
Several countries have begun to crack down on unsupervised online gaming among children and young adults, with increasing instances of addiction worrying parents, health experts and policymakers, who have struggled to put adequate oversight. Countries like China have mandated age verification and usage limits for children under a certain age. In India, users, including children, have often taken to crime to fuel their gaming addiction, including the massive in-game monetary spending some of these may involve.
