The recent kidnapping of three students from Bishop Cotton School (BCS) in Shimla has revealed a disturbing narrative of financial desperation and opportunistic crime, suggesting the victims were not specifically targeted. The incident, which involved the nephew of Punjab's Education Minister, has sent shockwaves through the elite school and the wider community.
On a Saturday afternoon, three Class VI students of BCS went missing during a day out from the boarding school. After the other students returned, the school management noticed the absence of the three boys and promptly alerted the Shimla police. The swift response involved over 150 police personnel, drones, and cyber teams to trace the missing students. Simultaneously, the families of the missing boys met with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, seeking his intervention.
The investigation revealed that the students were lured into a car near the school by Sumit Sood, a 45-year-old alumnus of BCS. Sood, familiar with the school's environment and schedules, posed as an old student offering them a ride. Instead of taking them towards Mall Road as the children might have expected, he drove them towards upper Shimla. According to police reports, Sood then took the children to a house in Chaithla village, Kotkhai, where they were held. He used an international number to make threatening calls to the parents, demanding ransom.
The Shimla police successfully rescued the three students from the house in Kotkhai. Sumit Sood was arrested and charged with kidnapping and extortion. Police recovered a revolver, mobile phones, and the car used in the kidnapping. The students were found locked in a room on the fourth floor of the building, along with masks, ropes, and sharp-edged weapons.
Local Congress MLA and former BCS student Harish Janartha, stated that Sumit was aware that the school caters to children from affluent families and also knew the school's outing schedules. Janartha also stated that the kidnapping seemed to be well-planned as weapons, ropes, and other items were recovered from the house of the accused. "It seems the children were not specifically targeted, and the accused, whose financial condition is poor, picked them randomly,” Janartha said.
Further investigation revealed that Sood had incurred significant losses in the share market, leading him to планировать the kidnapping for financial gain. This suggests that the victims were not specifically chosen for their family connections but were rather victims of circumstance, targeted due to their perceived affluence and accessibility. All three students hailed from influential families – one a cousin of the Education Minister of Punjab, another the nephew of a Municipal councilor of Karnal, and the third the great-grandson of a former MLA.
A local youth, Raunak from Kotkhai, played a crucial role in identifying the accused. Raunak helped the police trace the accused and the kidnapped students.
Following the rescue, the students underwent medical checks, and authorities are reviewing school activity calendars and intensifying safety monitoring. Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap emphasized the need for increased vigilance from both parents and schools and announced that safety advisories would be issued to all schools to prevent similar incidents. The incident has prompted serious concerns about the safety and security of students in boarding schools and the potential vulnerabilities they face.
