A domestic help’s son in Chennai was caught for stealing a smartphone but later the police inspector gifted him one, so that he can continue with his online classes.
The 13-year-old student from a corporation school was compelled to take the step following desperation of attending online classes. His parents reportedly couldn’t afford a smartphone as his father works at a biscuit shop and this pushed the school student to embark on theft, reports Times of India.
According to the police, the boy came under the company of two boys from the same impoverished neighbourhood, The duo used the teenager as a bait to steal a mobile phone. After seeing him loitering around during school hours, they decided to lure him with the idea of a smart phone so that he no more had to miss out on his online classes.
Three of them then managed to steal the mobile phone of a truck driver in Thiruvottiyur and eventually all three of them were caught.
However, the story took a turn towards empathy after the police inspector S Bhuvaneshwari heard the boy’s need of a smartphone in order to continue with his education.
Bhuvaneshwari immediately decided to buy the boy a smartphone with the money she had set aside to buy a phone for her own daughter, reports The News Minute.
“This is a small gesture from my side. After hearing his tale, I thought penalizing him would turn the life of the misguided youth upside down,” the inspector said to TNM.
The boy was released after warning.
Since the onset of the pandemic, schools and education have turned online. However, with the lack of proper access to mobile phones and internet connectivity, hundreds of youth across the country have been forced to discontinue with their education.
On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu School Education Department has said that the school administration cannot evaluate students on basis of their attendance for online classes.
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