A shocking kidnapping case has unfolded in Himachal Pradesh, India, where a man named Sumit Sood abducted three young students and tried to pin the blame on Nigerians.

The incident happened on August 9, 2025, during the Raksha Bandhan festival. The victims, all in Class VI at Bishop Cotton School (BCS), were on an approved outing when Sood, a former BCS student, seized the opportunity to abduct them.

According to The Indian Express, the 43-year-old suspect contacted the children’s parents, claiming he had been forced by some Nigerians to demand a ransom.

He told them to pay in Bitcoin and warned them not to tell anyone, saying a “Nigerian gang” would harm him and the children if they did.

Shimla’s Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Gandhi, revealed that the children were deeply traumatised. Sood had convinced the parents that a dangerous foreign gang was involved, pretending to be a victim himself.

Police tracked him down to his home in Kokunala village, near Kotkhai, and rescued the three children. They also found a fake-number-plate car, a licensed gun, and several sharp weapons, including a machete, at his residence.

Investigators discovered that Sood had searched dozens of websites, news channels, and the school’s site to see if the kidnapping was being reported.

When he realised the news had gone public, he planned to move the children to Chandigarh.

On August 13, 2025, the Shimla court placed Sood in judicial custody, despite police wanting more time to interrogate him. He has agreed to provide voice samples, which will be compared to the recorded ransom calls.

The three boys, from Kullu, Karnal, and Mohali, are now safe. One of them is related to Punjab’s Education Minister, Harjot Singh Bains, who visited Shimla with the family.

In response, the school has tightened security, allowing students to leave only under adult supervision.