Three young men have been arrested in Pampady, near Kottayam in Kerala, for allegedly threatening a schoolboy over several months and forcing him to steal gold jewellery worth about Rs 24 lakh from his own home, PTI reported, citing police.

Source: PTI via India Today, reported by News89

The arrested accused were identified by police as Ansal Muhammad, Nidhin Nishad and Shebin Abraham, all aged around 18 and all residents of Pampady. They were arrested on Sunday following a complaint filed by the father of the boy, a 15-year-old Class 9 student. The boy, a minor, is not being named.

According to police, the accused had allegedly been threatening the boy since the first week of March. The threats allegedly included implicating the boy and his parents in false cases and killing members of his family if he refused to cooperate, according to a detailed account of the police case.

Source: Jazzbaat24

Police said the boy allegedly took jewellery from an almirah at his house in several instalments and handed it over to the accused. The ornaments allegedly taken included bangles, chains, necklaces, earrings, finger rings and bracelets, collectively weighing 24 sovereigns and valued at about Rs 24 lakh.

The alleged theft came to light when the boy's mother recently checked her jewellery collection and found several ornaments missing, after which the family approached police.

Police are investigating what happened to the stolen gold, including whether the jewellery was sold or transferred to anyone else. The allegations have not been tested in court, and the accused are entitled to the presumption of innocence.