Shimla Police successfully located and rescued three Class VI students from a prestigious boarding school in Shimla, a day after they went missing during a scheduled outing. According to The Indian Express, the children were found safe in a house in Kotkhai, approximately 60 km from Shimla. Police have arrested 45-year-old Sumit Sood – alleged to be behind their abduction – and continue to probe the case.
The three boys, aged around 11 years, had left the school around noon on Saturday under an outing pass and failed to return by the afternoon deadline, prompting immediate concern. An FIR was registered under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for kidnapping after the principal alerted the authorities. Witnesses reported seeing the boys on Mall Road, and police swiftly reviewed CCTV footage while keeping a watch on entry and exit checkpoints of Shimla.
Acting on a tip-off regarding a suspicious vehicle, authorities traced the children to a house in Chaithla village, Kotkhai tehsil. Sumit Sood of the same village was taken into custody. During the operation, police recovered sharp weapons, ropes, and masks from the premises. The children were found locked inside a room on the fourth floor of the building. A sizeable deployment of around 150 police personnel, led by Additional Superintendent of Police Navdeep Singh, conducted the six-hour search, which resulted in their safe recovery.
Threatening calls had earlier been made to the parents from a spoofed California number, warning them not to involve the media. Although the caller claimed the boys were held by dangerous individuals, no ransom demand was made. The children, who come from politically influential families in Kullu, Mohali, and Karnal, were reunited with their families and will undergo medical examinations.
Shimla’s Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, commended the swift and professional response of the SIT during the operation. Police continue their investigation, reviewing CCTV footage, phone records, and the details of the international call.
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