Indian Man Abducts Students, Frames Nigerian Gang
In a shocking incident in Shimla, Sumit Sood, 43, was arrested for abducting three students from Bishop Cotton School.
Police reports reveal that Sood initially attempted to blame a fictitious Nigerian gang, making calls to the children’s parents from a virtual number and demanding ransom in Bitcoin, warning them not to inform the school or authorities.
Investigations showed that the suspect kept the children in his remote three-storey house in Kokunala, avoided CCTV, and even changed his car’s registration plate to escape detection. The night before the abduction, he stayed at his maternal grandparents’ home to plan the crime.
Police also discovered that he had stolen his father’s licensed pistol, scouted the area near the school for hours, and tracked media coverage to monitor whether the abduction had been reported.
During a crime scene reconstruction, Sood identified the locations where he blindfolded the students, changed his car plates, and transported them to his home, demonstrating the meticulous planning behind the crime.
The abduction violates child’s right from abduction, sale, or trafficking. It also breaches Article 9, which safeguards a child’s right to live with and maintain contact with their parents, ensuring protection from unlawful separation.
