Bengaluru Class 10 students extort gold worth Rs 35 lakh from classmate, detained

The arrested men have been identified as M Kartik Kumar, 32, from Vaddarahalli, and S Sunil, 30, a resident of CBS Circle, both hailing from Gangavathi in Koppal district, Veman N from R R Nagar, and R Vivek, both 19 and from Kengeri Satellite Town.

The police said the accused had been extorting the son of a civil contractor and a resident of West Bengaluru over six months.

R R Nagar police said they have recovered 300 grams of gold ornaments and Rs 23 lakh in cash, obtained from the sale of 400 grams of gold ornaments, by the accused. However, a diamond necklace is yet to be recovered.

In his complaint two weeks ago, the boy’s father said his son was addicted to online games and taking advantage of it, the boy’s classmates blackmailed him, threatening they would inform his family about his online activities.

Fearing ramifications, the minor boy handed over the gold ornaments and other valuables to the blackmailers. It wasn’t until items belonging to his second daughter and her husband, stored in the family residence, went missing that the theft came to light, prompting the father to file a complaint at R R Nagar police station.

A police officer said one of the juvenile suspects was closely associated with Veman N, a first-year BCom student. In order to sell the extorted ornaments, the juvenile reached out to Veman, who in turn enlisted Vivek’s expertise. Vivek, a college dropout operating a jewelry business in Kengeri Satellite Town with his father, facilitated the sale of the gold, reaping substantial profits alongside Veman.

Bengaluru police Commissioner B Dayananda appealed to the public to monitor their children and who they are associated with. He also advised them to monitor their usage of electronic gadgets.