Pune Crime Files | How a missing heirloom necklace revealed an extortion trail for online gaming

When a farmer from Koregaon Bhima in Pune’s Shirur taluka began searching for his mother’s heirloom gold ornament – a Mohanmal, a heavy necklace made of gold beads and a pendant weighing over 50 gram – which had gone missing, he never imagined that the trail would eventually lead to the popular online battle royale game ‘Free Fire’.

Free Fire is a multiplayer mobile game in which players compete against each other in virtual combat. In the battle royale format, dozens of players are dropped into a game map and fight until only one player or team remains standing. The sequence of events unfolded over September and October last year and eventually led to the arrest of two men from Maharashtra’s Parbhani district.

The complainant, a 40-year-old farmer, lives with his parents, wife, and 14-year-old son. The teenager had been using a mobile phone for school studies – or so his parents believed.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the complainant’s mother owned a gold Mohanmal weighing about 5.5 tola, or roughly 55 gram, which she wore during family functions and otherwise kept locked in a cupboard. The ornament had been passed down through generations. On the morning of September 26, 2025, she searched for the Mohanmal in the cupboard but could not find it. She informed other family members that the necklace was missing. Despite searching the entire house, they could not locate it and suspected it had been stolen.

“However, a twist came on October 5 when the complainant’s wife took their son’s pants for washing and found a gold pendant from Mohanmal inside a pocket. The family then questioned the boy in confidence. He revealed that he had been playing Free Fire on the mobile phone at home and had come into contact with a person named Mayur Bhisad from Parbhani through Instagram, who claimed to provide gaming IDs,” an officer who is part of the probe said.

The boy further revealed that Bhisad initially demanded Rs 15,000 for a game ID. As he did not have the money, the boy refused. Two days later, Bhisad allegedly suggested that if there was money available on his mother’s phone, he could transfer it instead. The boy then sent Rs 1,000 from his mother’s phone and received a game ID. However, Bhisad allegedly blocked the ID after a few days.

When the boy contacted Bhisad again on Instagram, the latter allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh. When the teenager said he did not have that kind of money, Bhisad allegedly replied that “even gold will do”. Thereafter, he repeatedly pressured the boy to steal gold from his house. Under the lure of obtaining a gaming ID, the teenager sent a photograph of his grandmother’s Mohanmal. Bhisad allegedly told him that if he handed over the gold necklace, he would provide the promised game ID.

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About one to one-and-a-half months before the incident came to light, Bhisad allegedly travelled to Koregaon Bhima. The boy took the Mohanmal to him but kept the pendant at home. According to the FIR, when the boy initially handed over only some of the gold beads and refused to part with the rest, Bhisad allegedly threatened to kill him and forcibly took the entire set of beads. Thereafter, Bhisad allegedly provided a game ID, but that too was soon deactivated. When the boy asked for another ID, the accused allegedly demanded the pendant as well and threatened to kill him if he did not hand it over.

2 nabbed

After the teenager disclosed the entire sequence of events, the family approached the police. During the investigation, the police traced Bhisad and an alleged accomplice. In the second and third week of October last year, the police arrested Shashikant Munjaji Bhisad alias Mayur, 21, and Kishor Dahale, 21, both residents of Parbhani district. The police also recovered part of the gold ornament that had allegedly been extorted from the boy.

Reacting to the incident, Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill said, “Mobile phones and online platforms have become an integral part of children’s education, communication, and recreation. At the same time, this case highlights the importance of maintaining an open dialogue with children about their online interactions and digital activities. Parents and guardians should not only monitor but also encourage children to speak freely about their online experiences and seek help if they encounter unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations. Greater awareness among families can go a long way in preventing such incidents.”