Crime

Indian Man Kidnaps Schoolchildren, Falsely Blames Nigerians to Cover Tracks

Published by Tope Fakinlede on August 16th, 2025.

Indian Man Kidnaps Schoolchildren, Falsely Blames Nigerians to Cover Tracks

In a shocking incident from Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh, a former student of Bishop Cotton School (BCS) has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping three Class VI students and attempting to divert suspicion by falsely blaming Nigerians for the crime.

The accused, 43-year-old Sumit Sood, reportedly abducted the boys on August 9, 2025, after they were granted “Outing Passes” for the Raksha Bandhan holiday. Posing as a victim himself, Sood contacted the children’s parents, claiming he was being coerced by a fictitious Nigerian gang to demand ransom payments.

According to The Indian Express, Sood demanded the ransom in Bitcoin and warned parents not to alert authorities, insisting the so-called Nigerian abductors would harm him and the children if anyone was informed.

“The children are still traumatized. The suspect pretended he was under threat from a Nigerian group, using this narrative to make ransom calls to the parents,” confirmed Shimla Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Gandhi.

Acting on intelligence, police tracked Sood to his residence in Kokunala village near Kotkhai, where they successfully rescued the three children and arrested the suspect. Authorities also confiscated a car with fake license plates, a licensed firearm, and bladed weapons, including a machete, from his home.

Further investigation revealed that Sood had extensively browsed school websites, local news outlets, and over 30 other online sources to monitor media coverage of the kidnapping. After learning that the case had gone public on the evening of August 9, he began planning to move the children to Chandigarh.

Despite police requesting extended custody to continue interrogation, a Shimla court remanded Sood to judicial custody on August 13. During the hearing, he consented to provide voice samples for forensic analysis — a key step in verifying if he made the ransom calls. Judicial Magistrate First Class Jyoti Bhagchandani scheduled the next hearing for August 18.

Sources indicate that Sood will be taken to the State Forensic Science Laboratory for voice sample collection. Prosecutors emphasized that matching these samples with the recorded ransom calls is crucial for building the case.

The three abducted students, all boarding at BCS, hail from Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Karnal (Haryana), and Mohali (Punjab). One of them is related to Punjab’s Education Minister, Harjot Singh Bains, who traveled to Shimla to support the affected families.

In response to the incident, the school administration has now implemented new safety measures, stating that all student outings will require adult or school staff superv

ision going forward.