Shimla, Aug 10 (IANS) Three minor students of one of the oldest premier boys’ boarding schools for boys in Asia, the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, founded in 1859, have gone missing under mysterious circumstances while on a weekly day out in the Himachal Pradesh capital, the police said on Sunday.

However, after 24 hours of the disappearance they were traced by the police from Kotkahai, state’s prominent apple belt in upper Shimla, on Sunday. One of the students, who belongs to Mohali, is related to a minister in Punjab, while another is from a prominent business family of Karnal in Haryana, and the third one is from the state’s Kullu.

The three students of Class 6 had gone to Mall Road for shopping on an outing on Saturday. The other students who had gone with them returned, but the three’s whereabouts are still unknown, said the police.

Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Gandhi had told the media here that police teams had been formed to search for the children. Delhi and Haryana Police have also been contacted to trace their whereabouts. He said a case has been registered.

Late in the evening, state Education Minister Rohit Thakur, who too belongs to Kotkhai, said the police has successfully found the three missing students from Kotkhai in a remarkably short time.

He congratulated the police for its prompt action and lauded the police for its tireless efforts in deploying multiple search teams, pursuing every possible lead, and overcoming challenges such as the absence of mobile phones with the children.

He said the swift and well-coordinated operation not only ensured the safe recovery of the children but also brought great relief to their worried families. He also appreciated the cooperation of local residents in providing valuable information and said the operation reflects the professionalism, efficiency, and deep sense of responsibility of the police in protecting the lives of citizens, especially children.

Initial police investigations showed that the children were seen in different localities of Shimla in CCTV footage during the outing, particularly on Mall Road, but disappeared after some time.

BCS is an elite boarding school in the country, and children from India and abroad come here to study.

Every week, the children go on an outing on Saturday. Except for the three students, all other children returned to the school on time.

–IANS

vg/pgh