Shimla: Police rescue three boarding school students kidnapped by alumnus within 24 hrs

Shimla: What began as a carefree excursion spiralled into a nightmare for three boys from Shimla’s prestigious Bishop Cotton School—a 166-year-old British-era institution—who went missing on Saturday, their official outing day.

The children were kidnapped and held hostage inside a house in the village of Chaithla, 65 km from Shimla. The police acted promptly and arrested 45-year-old Sumit Sood on charges of kidnapping within 24 hours.

The ordeal ended with their safe rescue, but the trauma of those tense hours will linger far longer.

The kidnapper turned out to be a former student of the same school, who devised a kidnapping plan for extortion.

According to police, the accused was familiar with the school’s environment and planned the kidnapping for financial gain.

The accused used a Hyundai i10 bearing a fake Delhi registration number cloned from a WagonR. He had intercepted the students—Angad from Karnal, Hitendra from Mohali, and Vidansh from Kullu—soon after they stepped out of the school gates. The CCTV footage captured him waiting near the premises before picking up the trio, who were walking behind other students.

Senior Superintendent of Police Shimla Sanjeev Gandhi said the accused had made some threatening calls to the families of the boys and also threatened the children with a gun. The call to the parents was made from an international number (California),” he added.

On Monday, Congress MLA from Shimla and former BCS student Harish Janartha said the accused, Sumit, had introduced himself as an old student and offered them a lift near the Vigilance office in Khalini, close to the school.

Later, he drove them towards upper Shimla, instead of heading towards Mall Road. “ Sumit was aware that the school caters to children from affluent families and also knew the school’s outing schedules.

He admitted that the children were not specifically targeted for extracting money from their families. The accused, whose financial condition was good, had chosen this mode to improve his financial position but has landed up in trouble.

Reports said a local youth, Raunak from Kotkhai, played a crucial role in cracking the case, as he provided vital details to the police, including video footage of the vehicle used in the crime. Raunak was later honoured by state Education minister Rohit Thakur.