Bengaluru: Two students allegedly coerced a minor into stealing gold from his own home, leading to their arrest.The accused — a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old engineering student — are said to have initially gained the trust of the former’s classmate, 16, before borrowing money and gold ornaments, citing personal problems. What followed, however, was a pattern of manipulation and blackmail that forced the victim deeper into trouble.The case surfaced after a software engineer residing in KN Extension, Yeshwanthpur, approached police on Oct 9 last year, reporting missing gold ornaments from his apartment. He lives with his elderly mother, wife who is also a tech professional, and their two school-going children.According to the complainant, his wife last wore the ornaments on Oct 1, 2024 for a function and kept them safely in a cupboard upon returning. When she attempted to use them again on June 10, 2025, for a function, they were missing. The stolen items included a mangalya chain, bangles, earrings, gold chains and gold dollars.A case was registered under Section 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (theft in a dwelling house). However, the case remained unsolved until March 25 this year, when a shocking confession brought a breakthrough.The complainant’s son admitted that he was stealing gold from the house and handing it over to his friends, who had initially lured him into bringing cash for partying. Subsequently, the duo escalated their demands, coercing and blackmailing him into stealing gold ornaments repeatedly.Investigations revealed that the accused sold the stolen gold to jewellers with the help of a 45-year-old acquaintance, who falsely claimed the jewellery belonged to his wife.Police teams tracked down the accused in Yeshwanthpur and, during interrogation, they confessed to the crime. Police were able to recover 107 grams of gold from jewellers in Malleshwaram and on Magadi Road. However, officers said the total quantity of stolen gold is significantly higher than what has been recovered so far.The juvenile has been remanded to a state-run boys’ home, while the engineering student has been sent to judicial custody. Police said the case highlights the dangerous consequences of peer pressure and manipulation among youngsters, where friendship turned into fear and exploitation.
