Man reunited with Ghaziabad family after 30 years arrested for fraud

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 6 (ANI): Ghaziabad Police have arrested a man who reunited with a family after 30 years, only to later be accused of defrauding them and planning to steal from them.
The man, identified as Indraj alias Raju or Bhim Singh, had initially claimed he was abducted 30 years ago and taken to Rajasthan, where he was allegedly tortured before escaping with the help of a truck driver. However, police later found that he had made a similar claim in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, in 2024, where he also posed as a long-lost relative and reunited with a family.
According to officials, the man had deceived multiple families by posing as their long-lost relative.
"The man has been arrested for defrauding families by posing as a family member," Ghaziabad Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Trans Hindon, told reporters on Friday.
On November 24, Indraj approached the police, claiming he had been kidnapped decades ago. He said he escaped after years of torture and sought assistance in finding his family. Following his request, the police issued advertisements, and soon after, a family in Ghaziabad identified him as their son, Bhim Singh. Indraj also recognized them, and the police facilitated his reunion with the family.
However, just days later, police received a similar complaint from a family in Uttarakhand's Dehradun. Upon investigation, police found that the man had told a nearly similar story in Dehradun in July 2024 and posed as a missing family member there as well.
"When we looked into the Dehradun case, we realized it was the same person. He had used the same story to gain entry into another household," said the DCP Trans Hindon.
According to officials, the accused Indraj, a resident of Rajasthan, had been deceiving families across different states using this pattern. He would gain their trust, commit robbery, and leave without informing anyone.
"(The accused) was living in the houses of several people...He used to commit robbery in houses and leave without informing anyone. He had committed similar frauds in Punjab, Jaisalmer, Hisar, and Sirsa. He was also jailed in 2021 for a similar offence," DCP Hindon added.
The DCP further said that the suspect was called for questioning when he confessed to his crime and was subsequently arrested.
"The 38-year-old accused had a long history of stealing from a young age and was expelled by his own family in 2005 due to his behaviour. He had since been hiding his identity and living off others," he said.
Police have registered a case against him for fraud and theft and formed teams to investigate his activities in other states and identify additional victims.
Further investigation into the matter is ongoing, they added. (ANI)