Bahrain: Boy gets 6 months in jail for stealing money from father

Dubai: A 16-year-old Bahraini boy has been sentenced to six months in jail for stealing money from his father's account, local media reported.

The boy, whose parents are divorced, has been accused of taking more than BD11,000 from his father’s account. The court will reexamine his case after three months, on the basis of a Reform and Rehabilitation Centre report.

However, the boy’s mother, who was also charged with the crime, was cleared by the court. The father said he filed a complaint after receiving a call from his son’s friend, who told him that his son had transferred money from his BenefitPay account.

The father told police that he and his ex-wife had disagreements about their son’s custody and alimony. "The youngster stole my phone when he came over, saying it was for playing games. But I found out that he was moving money to various accounts, including my ex-wife’s, using BenefitPay.

“I was startled when the account, which had about BD14,000, had barely BD3,000 in it.”

Investigators discovered that the youngster obtained the funds through illegal BenefitPay app transactions. During questioning, the youngster admitted that he stole his father’s phone under the pretence of playing a game before committing the act.

According to court documents, the youngster also deceived one of his friends into withdrawing the money through BenefitPay. The child said he needed money for his uncle’s treatment in an Asian country since he could not withdraw money, according to the suspect’s friend who later testified to the incident.