Shimla, Aug 11,
Shimla Police have arrested a 45-year-old former Bishop Cotton School (BCS) student, accused of abducting three Class VI boarders at gunpoint in what appears to be a ransom plot driven by mounting financial distress. The suspect, identified as Sumit Sood of Kokoonala in Kotkhai, allegedly lured the boys into his car on Saturday afternoon by offering them a ride to Mall Road, only to blindfold, gag, and confine them on the fourth floor of his residence about 60 km away.
Police sources said Sood, who had reportedly lost lakhs of rupees in the share market and was struggling with heavy debt, appeared to have targeted the children believing their families could pay a substantial ransom. Driving a Hyundai i10 bearing a fake Delhi registration number cloned from a WagonR, he intercepted the students—Angad from Karnal, Hitendra from Mohali, and Vidansh from Kullu—soon after they stepped out of the school gates. CCTV footage captured him waiting near the premises before picking up the trio, who were walking behind other students. Instead of taking them towards the city, he drove through Theog and Kotkhai, deliberately avoiding police checkpoints set up on routes to Chandigarh and Parwanoo.
During their captivity, the boys were reportedly threatened with a loaded gun and knife, and their mouths were taped to prevent any calls for help. The breakthrough came when locals near a petrol pump in Theog recognised the vehicle and tipped off authorities. Acting swiftly, a police team raided Sood’s residence in Kotkhai, rescuing the boys within 24 hours of their abduction. They were taken to IGMC Shimla for medical examination, where doctors declared them safe though visibly traumatised, and later returned to school.
Investigators recovered ropes, gloves, and other suspected crime tools from the site, and are examining ransom calls allegedly made to the families using a California-based virtual number. Married with two children and belonging to a respected family of retired teachers, Sood’s wife runs an online bakery. Police are also probing his possible foreign connections and tracing his digital communications. The FIR in the case was lodged on August 9 at New Shimla police station under section 173(B) on the complaint of BCS Principal Mathew P John. Officials say more details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses.
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