Abhishek Keni, Hetal Chheda and Sukhdev Singh, all 17 years old and students of Our Lady of Good Counsel at Sion and Guru Nanak English School at Koliwada, thought it would be easier to pass the SSC exam with a little help from a friend who claimed he had `connections' at the SSC board. Obviously not academically inclined and shuddering at the thought of the approaching exam, the trio agreed to let Prakash Kudil (22) help them - in return for committing a theft.

Identifying a classmate who hailed from an affluent family, Keni also roped in 14-year-old Randeep Shikh, a student of Std IX. On January 30, Keni, Chheda and Singh gained entry to their classmate's house by posing as couriers andwaving choppers, they frightened their classmate's mother and fled with Rs 2.66 lakh.

Nine days later, police showed up at their doorstep and arrested all three boys. Kudil, they found to their horror, had tipped off the police! Kudil, who had also taken all the booty, was picked up by the Nehru Nagar police today but his identity is yet to be confirmed. Shikh, however, has been let off with a reprimand. The cold and severe precincts of the police lock-up have since taught the trio, all of whom hail from well-to-do and respectable homes, that a little hard work is a small price to pay for preserving their self-respect and the reputation of their families.

The boys, all of them sportspersons, were the proud recipients of a medal for `Best Cadet' in the National Cadet Corps (NCC). Now, they are filled only with regret. ``We just want another chance. We shall never repeat such a thing,'' Singh, the eldest among three siblings, pleads with a police officer.

Chheda, the youngest in his family, tries tomutter a few words of regret. But all he can manage is tears. ``How can I ever face my parents? Instead of bringing honour to them, I have brought shame to my family,'' he says between sobs. Keni, the tallest among the trio, doesn't feel very tall just now. Words have suddenly escaped the boy, otherwise always game for a lark.

Senior Inspector of the Nehru Nagar police station, S M Naik, told Express Newsline that the boys were as frightened as the lady whose house was burgled. Hence, he adds, potential victims must raise an alarm, which in some instances could scare off intruders.

Describing the reaction of the teenagers' parents who were summoned to the police station, Sub-Inspector Ravindra Badgujar, ``It was heart-rending to see the boys' parents weep. They had never dreamt that their sons could commit theft.''

Keni, Chedda and Singh, for their part, have sworn never to repeat their mistake. ``We are missing the comforts of our house. We have also realised the value of our independence andmost of all apne maa-baap ka pyar.'' Perhaps they should have realised that earlier.