11-year-old boy 'tortured' by Bengaluru police over missing gold

BENGALURU: Parappana Agrahara police have come under the scanner of Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights after an 11-year-old boy put out a social media post alleging he was tortured by the cops, in an attempt to make him confess to stealing 120 grams of gold from a neighbour.The cops allegedly picked him up following a complaint from a woman, who stated that her gold chain was taken in Aug 2025 when she was preparing to travel to her hometown of Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu. After packing her luggage, she allegedly asked the minor boy, who was sitting outside his house, to keep an eye on her bags while she went to arrange an autorickshaw. When she checked later, a purse containing gold ornaments weighing 120 grams was missing. About a week later, while still in Krishnagiri, the woman contacted the boy's father and informed him about the missing gold, asking him to check with his son. The boy denied any involvement. After returning to Bengaluru by the end of Aug, the woman again approached the boy's father, who continued to maintain that his son was innocent. Last week, the woman approached Parappana Agrahara police seeking assistance in tracing the missing ornaments, but declined to formally lodge a case.DCP (Electronics City) M Narayana said the boy and his parents were summoned to the police station both Wednesday and Thursday. "The boy was questioned by a child protection officer, a woman police officer. On both days, he pleaded innocence. We informed the complainant about this and the matter ended there," Narayana said.However, the boy's parents later released videos on social media alleging that police personnel took the child into a room, switched the lights on and off to intimidate him, assaulted him, and forced him to confess to the theft. In one video, the boy claimed police threatened that his parents would be jailed for three years if he did not admit to the crime.While denying the allegations, Narayana said an internal inquiry has been ordered. "No FIR has been registered as the woman has not filed a complaint. The parents and the boy were questioned casually. We have not harassed anyone," he maintained.