GORAKHPUR, Feb. 3 -- A 14-year-old in Deoria allegedly gave away his family's jewellery collection to roadside momo vendors who befriended him with the promise of free snacks, a deception that went unnoticed for nearly half a year.

The matter surfaced on Monday when the boy's sister opened the family cupboard to retrieve her jewellery and found it missing. When questioned, the Class 7 student confessed he had been exchanging family ornaments for momos over four to six months.

The boy's father, Vimlesh Mishra, a temple priest posted in Varanasi, rushed to file a complaint at Rampur Karkhana police station. He named three individuals who allegedly ran a momo stall at Dumri Chauraha and had carefully cultivated a friendship with his son, w...