MUMBAI, India &#8212 Three boarding school students are accused of strangling two boys in hope that school would close after the deaths, police said Saturday.

The three students, ages 12 and 13, confessed to strangling an 8-year-old boy and his 5-year-old brother, said S. Sethi, a police officer in the Jalna district.

“When questioned, the boys said they knew this school gave a holiday when a child had died last year and thought they could get another,” Sethi said.

Authorities found the bodies of the boys after their 9-year-old sister reported them missing, Sethi said. He said an autopsy confirmed they were strangled.