Class 7 student, friends extort ₹35L from classmate; one held
According to the version of events shared by the police, the two students got into a fight while getting water from a cooler on the school premises on February 16, when they were students of Class 6.
A scuffle between two Class 7 students of a private school in Faridabad snowballed into one of them threatening the life of the other, and with the help of two friends who were not students of the school, extorting ₹35 lakh from the victim, police said on Thursday. One arrest was made in the case, they said.
Police identified the two friends of the juvenile accused as Aman Kumar, 19, of Bhikam Colony in Ballabgarh, and Harsh Thakur, 18, of Shyam Colony. The identities of the juvenile accused, aged 14, and the victim, aged 13, cannot be disclosed. Aman—who has been arrested—and Harsh, whose parents work as daily wage labourers, bought a slew of luxury items, including a plot, the police said.
According to the version of events shared by the police, the two students got into a fight while getting water from a cooler on the school premises on February 16, when they were students of Class 6. After the incident, the 14-year-old roped in his friends Aman and Harsh for revenge. The trio allegedly caught hold of the boy near his residence in Bhagat Singh Colony in March, held him at knifepoint and demanded he pay ₹20,000 to his classmate to settle the dispute.
Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of the Faridabad police, said that after taking the money, the trio started harassing him again in April, asking for more money. “Aman and Harsh started waiting for the boy at the school entrance every working day to threaten him. The victim’s classmate also used to accompany the duo,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of the Faridabad police, said that after taking the money, the trio started harassing him again in April, asking for more money. “Aman and Harsh started waiting for the boy at the school entrance every working day to threaten him. The victim’s classmate also used to accompany the duo,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Yadav said that the boy’s uncle had stored ₹35 lakh in a cupboard at their home, to purchase a plot. The uncle had turned caretaker of the boy and his sister, after their mother died during the Covid-19 pandemic peak. Their father had died a decade ago, police said.
{{/usCountry}}Yadav said that the boy’s uncle had stored ₹35 lakh in a cupboard at their home, to purchase a plot. The uncle had turned caretaker of the boy and his sister, after their mother died during the Covid-19 pandemic peak. Their father had died a decade ago, police said.
{{/usCountry}}“The trio terrorised the boy so much that he stole the entire cash in instalments to school by hiding it in his school bag,” he said, adding that he gave the entire cash to them between April 25 and 27.
{{/usCountry}}“The trio terrorised the boy so much that he stole the entire cash in instalments to school by hiding it in his school bag,” he said, adding that he gave the entire cash to them between April 25 and 27.
{{/usCountry}}The boy’s uncle told HT that none in the family knew that his nephew was being threatened. “The bag containing the cash was untouched until mid-May, when it fell down as my wife was trying to take out some jewellery,” he said.
“I was in my office when she alerted me about the missing cash and I rushed home. I had a feeling that my nephew might be behind it. I asked him but he was extremely terrified to disclose anything. We kept an eye on him and finally, after a fortnight, we heard him speaking to the suspects over the phone and quizzed him. He finally disclosed everything,” he said.
The uncle said he approached the police and lodged a complaint, following which they called the parents of the three accused.
The parents of the three suspects moved court alleging harassment, but later withdrew their petitions, following which police registered an FIR against the trio under sections 308(2) (extortion) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at City Ballabgarh police station on Monday.
Police said that while Harsh was yet to be arrested, they recovered ₹5 lakh, a new Royal Enfield motorcycle, a Toyota Etios car, two iPhones, an imported drone and a laptop from his residence at Shyam Colony.
Investigators said Aman had purchased aRoyal Enfield motorcycleand a Swift Dzire car, but they were yet to be found.
Yadav said: “Using the proceeds of crime, Harsh’s father even purchased a 668-square-foot plot in Adarsh Colon, while they were barely able to even pay the rent of their accommodation until now. We are investigating to ascertain if the parents and other family members of the trio were aware about the source of money.”
