Kottayam , Three youth were arrested for allegedly threatening a Class 9 student and forcing him to steal gold ornaments worth around ₹24 lakh from his house in Pampady near here, police said on Monday.
The accused, all aged 18, allegedly coerced the 15-year-old boy into stealing 24 sovereigns of gold jewellery belonging to his mother.
The arrested were Ansal Muhammad, Nidhin Nishad and Shebin Abraham, all natives of Pampady.
According to police, the trio were former students of the school where the boy is currently studying. They also attended the same tuition centre, where they became acquainted with him.
The accused had allegedly been threatening the boy since the first week of March this year, police said.
They threatened to implicate him and his parents in false cases and kill them unless he handed over his mother's gold ornaments.
Under pressure, the boy took 24 sovereigns of gold ornaments kept in an almirah at his house and handed them over to the trio in several instalments since March, police said.
The jewellery comprised bangles, chains, necklaces, earrings, finger rings and bracelets, collectively valued at around ₹24 lakh.
{{/usCountry}}The jewellery comprised bangles, chains, necklaces, earrings, finger rings and bracelets, collectively valued at around ₹24 lakh.
{{/usCountry}}The boy's mother recently checked her jewellery and found several ornaments missing. When the family was preparing to lodge a theft complaint, the boy disclosed that he had taken the ornaments from the house and handed them over to the trio following their threats, officials said.
The accused had recently threatened the boy and asked him to sell his bicycle and hand over the proceeds to them, police said.
Based on a complaint lodged by the boy's father, a case was registered, and the trio were arrested on Sunday.
Police are investigating what the accused did with the ornaments handed over by the boy.
The accused will be produced before a court as part of the remand procedure, officials added.
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