In Bengaluru, four individuals were arrested and two minors detained, in an extortion case involving a Class 10 student from a private school. The accused threatened to expose the student’s online gaming addiction to his parents if he did not meet their demands. Police recovered jewellery and cash amounting to ₹41 lakh during the investigation, including 302 grams of gold and ₹23.5 lakh in cash.
Hindustan Times reported the names of the arrested accused, they are 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. The two minors are the classmates of the victim.
According to police officials, the extortion began last October when the victim’s classmates learned about his addiction to online games like PUBG and Dream-11. Threatening to inform the student’s parents about his gaming habit and financial losses, they demanded money from him.
Inspector Markandeya ST of Rajarajeshwari Nagar police stated that the victim, studying in the 10th grade, was coerced into stealing gold jewellery from his home and handing it over to the minors.
“The victim started stealing gold jewellery from the house and handed it over to the minor accused. 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,” he said.
The extortion was exposed when the victim’s mother noticed missing jewellery from their home. The family filed a police complaint, leading to the arrests. The accused have been charged under IPC Sections 384 (extortion by threat), 504 (intentional insult), and 506 (threat to life). They have been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days, while the minors were produced before the juvenile justice board.
This incident highlights the dangers of online gaming addiction among young individuals and the potential risks associated with unsupervised gaming habits. Commissioner B Dayanand emphasised the importance of parents’ vigilance in monitoring children’s online activities and educating them about the risks of gaming addiction.
