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Whizkid from Kerala gets death threats

Nineteen-year-old Stephen Antony could never have thought that acquiring advance knowledge in IT would prove to be life threatening.

A graduation student in Kollam, Anthony has been put under police protection after he complained of receiving threats on telephone and through e-mails from unknown people who want him to develop a software to hack bank ATMs.

Anthony has been hooked on to computers since he was barely 10 years old. Although he has no formal qualifications in IT, Anthony has already won the Superior Coder of the Planet award in the US thrice.

The last one he received was this year for software Online Super Guest Register used worldwide by hotels.

Anthony has written 16 software codes used in various fields. The Kottayam-based Mahatma Gandhi University has used his expertise to update master's course syllabus.

Kollam superintendent of police S. Sreejith told IANS he was approached by the computer wizard with a complaint against unidentified people for making threatening telephone calls.

"We posted a batch of policemen for 10 days two months back at his residence and after that the threats over telephone and emails for developing a software to hack bank ATMs died down," he said.

"We have put his residence under surveillance to ensure that he doesn't face any problems. We are trying to identify the people who have asked Antony to develop the software for hacking ATMs."

While admitting that the number of threatening calls and e-mails has gone down after the police protection, Antony said he would continue his work in the IT field despite all odds.

"I am yet to make any money in this field. The only thing that I ask when called for meetings at clients' destinations is the reimbursement of my travel expenses," Anthony told IANS.

"For my needs I require Rs.2,000 every month and that is taken care of by my parents."

As a school going kid, Anthony cultivated his interest in IT through books. "Slowly I got interested in the field. I created my first website when I was in the eighth standard," he said.

Source: Police protection for computer wizard - Newindpress.com