'Not The Original Targets': Behind The Kidnap Of Minister's Nephew Near Elite Shimla School

Last Updated:August 12, 2025, 15:28 IST

The kidnapped boys were from prominent families with one from Karnal, another the nephew of Punjab Minister Harjot Bains, and the third the great-grandson of an ex-MLA from Kullu

The kidnapper, Sumit Sood, has been arrested and remanded to custody. (News18 Hindi)

In a dramatic operation, Shimla Police cracked the kidnapping case of three Bishop Cotton School students within hours, rescuing them safely from a house in Kotkhai, about 80 km from the city. The accused, identified as 30-year-old Sumit Sood, was arrested and produced in court, where he was remanded to police custody until August 13.

According to investigators, the incident unfolded on Sunday when three boys, all studying in class 6 at the 160-year-old boarding school, left the campus for an outing around 12:15 pm. CCTV footage from the school gate showed them heading towards Khalini Chowk, but they vanished near the Vigilance office. For nearly six hours, the school reportedly failed to alert the police. The alarm was raised only after the family of one boy in Karnal, Haryana, received a ransom call from an overseas number, later traced to a VPN masking a California ID.

The victims were from prominent families with one from Karnal, another the nephew of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains from Mohali, and the third the great-grandson of a former MLA from Banjar in Kullu. Police launched a massive search operation involving over 150 personnel and combed through 300 CCTV cameras.

Investigations revealed that Sood, a former Bishop Cotton student, had approached the boys near Khalini, claiming he would drop them at Lakkar Bazaar. Instead, he diverted towards Dhalli, brandished a pistol, and forced the boys to tape their mouths. He then drove towards Narkanda but turned back before reaching and took them to his fourth-floor residence in Kokunala, Kotkhai, where he held them captive.

Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi said that the police were informed by the school management around 6 pm. ASP Navdeep Singh, a Special Investigation Team, and the cyber cell began the search for the children. “Initially, we had conflicting sightings, but CCTV evidence narrowed our focus. A car with a fake Delhi number plate became the key lead," Gandhi said. A local youth, Ronik from Kotkhai, also tipped off police about the suspect vehicle, leading to the rescue.

Police sources said that Sood had been planning the kidnapping for ten days to recover losses of Rs 40–50 lakh from the stock market. The three boys were, however, not his original targets.

The incident also sparked political reactions with Punjab’s Education Minister Harjot Bains rushing to Shimla to meet Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur slammed the state government, saying, “On the day of Rakshabandhan, three children are kidnapped from a reputed school in the city and taken 50 km through all major intersections without being stopped. This exposes the poor state of law and order."

The school management and Shimla Urban MLA Harish Janartha later held a joint press conference, promising stricter safety protocols. The principal said students would no longer be allowed off-campus without adult supervision. Janartha, himself an alumnus, admitted current rules allow students above Class 6 to go out in groups without staff, a policy now set for revision.

Location :

Shimla, India, India

First Published:

August 12, 2025, 15:28 IST

News india 'Not The Original Targets': Behind The Kidnap Of Minister's Nephew Near Elite Shimla School

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