Ghaziabad: Man concocts fake childhood kidnapping story to stay with different families; arrested

He used different names and stayed with at least five different families in Dehradun in Uttarakhand, and Sikar, Jaisalmer and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, before reaching Ghaziabad on November 24

When 40-year-old Indra Raj Meghwal “returned home” to Ghaziabad’s Khoda on November 24 as “Raju”, a seven-year-old who was kidnapped from there some 30 years ago, Raju’s family could not contain their happiness on seeing their “long lost son”.

The would seek police help in locating his family and when families who lost their child would turn up to see if he was their kin, he would pick one family at random and go with them to get free food, shelter and enjoy a life of leisure. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Their joy lasted barely a fortnight -- on Friday, Ghaziabad police said the man was an imposter who concocted the kidnapping story so that he could lead a “leisurely”life with different families.

After arresting the Rajasthan-based man on Friday, police said Meghwal had a novel modus operandi to fool numerous families over the course of the past 20 years.

He would approach the police in various cities and claim that he was a man who was kidnapped from that city as a child. He would seek their help in locating his family and when families who lost their child would turn up to see if he was their kin, he would pick one family at random and go with them to get “free food, shelter and enjoy a life of leisure “.

Police said the plot got busted when he arrived in Ghaziabad on November 24 pretending to be the boy who went missing in 1993 and was never found.

Police said Meghwal hailed from Anupgarh district in Rajasthan. They said that he used different names and stayed with at least five different families in Dehradun in Uttarakhand, and Sikar, Jaisalmer and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, before reaching Ghaziabad on November 24.

“Our teams are trying to verify the other locations where he stayed. The suspect was disowned by his family in 2005 after he fell into the habit of committing petty thefts and would not mend his ways. Later, he hit upon a unique plan. He would reach police stations in different cities and tell police that he was kidnapped about 30 years ago. His emotional tale would get picked up by media, and families of missing persons would turn up at the station and he would go one that he found suitable,” said Nimish Patil, deputy commissioner of police, trans-Hindon.

Posing as Raju, Meghwal reached Ghaziabad reached Khoda police station in Ghaziabad on November 24. There, he told police that he managed to escape his kidnappers who picked him up from Ghaziabad about 30 years ago and made him stay in Jaisalmer.

As media reports about Raju’s ordeal as a captive went viral, Tula Ram and his wife Leelavati from Shaheed Nagar in Sahibabad turned up to see if he was the son they lost in 1993.

The family had got registered an FIR under Indian Penal Code Section 363 at Sahiababd police station back in 1993 itself.

After a brief questioning and an emotional outburst, Leelavati got convinced that he was her missing son.

“My wife got very emotional when she saw Raju and was convinced he was our son. She was bent on taking him home while I was still in doubt. But we took him home and he stayed with us for three days. The third night, he tried fleeing our house late night and I caught him. He could not reply when I asked him why he was leaving. During these three days, he was indifferent to us -- his attitude was not that of a man reunited with his family after 30 years. So, we called the police and asked them to take him away. Later, we got to know that he was an imposter,” said Tula Ram, a 70-year-old retired official of the power department in Delhi.

Police said in Dehradun, he posed as Monu and stayed with family of a woman called Asha Sharma for about four months since July 2024.

He also told police that he stayed for about two months since June 2023 with a family in Sikar and also with a family for couple of months in Sri Ganganagar about four years ago.

The DCP said Meghwal stayed with a family in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, for three months and escaped with documents and jewellery. An FIR of theft was registered against him on January 31, 2021, and he was arrested and jailed.

After coming out of jail, Meghwal continued using the “kidnapping” modus operandi, but never got arrested.

“During his stay with the other families, there was no instance of any theft or any crime. So, no one came forward to register any complaint. Seven years ago, he suffered a paralytic attack when he was in Bhatinda. After that, he wanted a life of leisure and free food and shelter,” Patil said.

Police said the suspect was booked for Impersonation, cheating and house trespass at Sahibabad police station.