Delhi Class 9 boy steals mother’s jewellery to gift iPhone to girlfriend

A Class 9 student in Delhi's Najafgarh area was detained after allegedly stealing his mother's gold ornaments to purchase an iPhone for his purported girlfriend on her birthday, according to a report by the Times of India.

The teenager had initially asked his mother for money to buy the expensive gift. The mother refused due to financial constraints. It was then that he resorted to theft. The boy’s father had passed away due to illness, and according to the report, he had been showing little interest in academics and was scoring average marks.

The incident took place earlier this week, and the boy was detained by the police on Wednesday (August 7). The case came to light when the boy's mother noticed her gold jewellery was missing and subsequently filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the police.

During the investigation, authorities ruled out external involvement after reviewing CCTV footage from the area and speaking with neighbours.

Suspicion quickly fell on the boy, especially after he went missing following the reported theft. Police questioned his friends and discovered that he had recently purchased an iPhone worth ₹50,000 ($595) and was in a relationship with a classmate.

The boy was eventually caught when he attempted to return home on Wednesday (August 7) evening, and the police seized the stolen iPhone from him. It remains unclear if he actually gifted the iPhone to his purported girlfriend.

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"On August 3, an incident of house theft was reported by a woman, in which she claimed that two gold chains, one pair of gold earrings, and one gold ring had been stolen from her house on August 2, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.," said Ankit Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka), in a statement.

The DCP added that the boy was upset after his mother refused to give him the money and instead urged him to focus on his studies. "Angered over the denial, he decided to steal the gold from his home," Singh said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.