Three Bishop Cotton School students kidnapped in Shimla, rescued within 24 hours

PTC Web Desk: In a shocking incident, three Class 6 students from Shimla’s renowned Bishop Cotton School (BCS) were abducted on August 9 after being lured into a car by a kidnapper posing as a friendly driver. The accused, identified as Sumit Sood, reportedly carried a loaded gun and a knife to threaten the children.

Police investigations reveal that Sumit Sood, a former BCS student himself, planned the kidnapping to extort ransom after losing lakhs of rupees in the stock market. Using CCTV footage, call records, and a virtual phone number, the police traced and arrested him within 24 hours, rescuing the children unharmed.

The victims — Angad from Karnal (Haryana), Hitendra from Mohali (Punjab), and Vedansh from Kullu (Himachal Pradesh) — had stepped out of the school gate for an outing on August 9. Near the entrance, Sood approached them, offering to drop them at Mall Road. Trusting him, the boys got into his Hyundai i10. Soon after, he blindfolded them, taped their mouths, and began issuing threats.

Armed with a loaded gun and a knife, Sood allegedly warned the boys against making any noise. He drove them about 60 km from Shimla to Kokunala, where he confined them on the fourth floor of a house. When the police eventually rescued them, the boys were still blindfolded and terrified, though physically unharmed.

According to the police, the kidnapping was financially motivated. Sood had suffered heavy losses in stock market investments, leaving him in debt. Knowing that Bishop Cotton School  is attended by children of wealthy and prominent families, he targeted its students to demand a large ransom.

On Raksha Bandhan, Sood drove to the school in an i10 with fake number plates (DL5CS6117), originally belonging to a Delhi-registered WagonR. His actual car registration number was DL8CS0654. He later phoned the children’s families, claiming they were held by a dangerous person, but did not immediately specify the ransom amount.

School CCTV footage captured Sood’s car parked near the gate and showed him picking up the boys. Once the complaint was filed, the Shimla police launched a massive search, setting up checkpoints between Shimla and Parwanoo, and Shimla and Tutu, to prevent the children from being taken out of the state.

Instead of heading towards Chandigarh, Sood drove towards Theog-Kotkhai. Past a certain point, where CCTV coverage ended, the police sought help from locals. Residents identified the car as belonging to Sood.

On Sunday afternoon, the police raided Sood’s house and found the boys on the fourth floor. They were taken to IGMC Shimla for a medical examination.