Long lost son: Man held for posing as 'missing child' of two families

Ghaziabad: Police have arrested a man who allegedly attempted to establish himself as the long-lost son of two different families -- one in Ghaziabad and another in Uttarakhand -- 31 years after he was abducted, officials said on Friday.

"The accused, identified as Indraraj, was taken into custody after a detailed investigation exposed his web of lies and criminal history," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Nimish Patil.

The incident came to light on November 24, when a man named Raju approached the Khoda Commissionerate Police Station in Ghaziabad, claiming he was kidnapped 30 years ago and held hostage in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

According to his story, he had escaped from the kidnappers, travelled to Delhi in a truck and eventually reached Ghaziabad. In an attempt to verify his identity, the police released his photograph through social media, newspapers and other channels.

Soon after, Tularam, a resident of Shaheednagar in Ghaziabad, recognised the man as his missing "son", Bhim Singh alias Pannu. The man was handed over to Tularam by the Khoda Police Station. However, Tularam grew suspicious of the man's behaviour, which seemed inconsistent with his missing son.

"On November 27, Tularam contacted the Sahibabad Police Station, raising concerns that the man who had been living with his family for five days as Bhim Singh might not be who he claimed to be. Following this, the police called the suspect for further questioning," said the ACP.

"During intensive questioning, the suspect initially maintained his story but later confessed to his true identity: Indraraj, son of Chunnilal Meghwal, a resident of Jaitsar, Rajasthan. He revealed that he had been involved in petty thefts from a young age, which led to his eviction from his family home in 2005," added the officer.

Further investigation revealed a string of previous crimes. Indraraj had stolen from various households under different aliases. In 2021, he had stolen documents and jewellery from the house of a relative in Rawatsar, Rajasthan, the ACP said.

He was also involved in fraudulent activities in other parts of India, including Dehradun, Delhi, and various locations in Rajasthan and Haryana, where he lived with different families, posing as their missing "son" or relative, ACP added.

Indraraj had stayed at the home of Asha Sharma in Dehradun, posing as her "son" Monu for four months before moving to Delhi. He had also stayed in Rajasthan under the false identities of Pankaj Kumar and Rampratap in different parts of the country. In every case, he either stole valuables or disappeared without informing anyone, the officer said.

"The accused is in police custody and has a criminal history spanning several years, we are now verifying additional incidents in which he might have assumed false identities," the officer added.