GHAZIABAD (UP): A day after a man was arrested here for allegedly posing as the long-lost son of two different families — one in Ghaziabad and another in Uttarakhand, police on Saturday said the accused duped at least seven more families in other states using the same story.
Out of the seven families, police have identified two families and are trying to find out details of five others, officials said.
A total of nine families from six states — Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand — fell victim to accused Indraraj Rawat’s deception, they said.
Rawat, a native of Rajasthan, duped three families in the state, said Nimish Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (trans-Hindon).
“Rawat had lived with at least nine families over the years, convincing them with a fabricated story of being a long-lost son who had been kidnapped as a child. Police have identified four such families, and investigations are on to find out five other families he may have similarly deceived,” said Patil.
Rawat has been charged with impersonation, cheating, and house trespassing, police said.
The case came to light last month when Rawat, posing as Raju, approached Khoda police station on November 24, claiming he was kidnapped 31 years ago at the age of seven. According to his story, he was abducted by three men in a tempo while walking home from school with his sister in Sahibabad’s Shaheed Nagar Colony.
Rawat told police that the kidnappers took him to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, where he was kept in a room and forced to work as a shepherd, enduring physical abuse and being shackled at night.
He claimed that a Delhi-based businessman, who saw his plight, took pity on him, brought him to Ghaziabad and left him at the border. With police’s help, Rawat was accepted by a local family, the Tularams, who believed him to be their missing son.
However, police investigations soon revealed discrepancies in Rawat’s account. Upon further probe, they discovered that his real name is Indraraj Rawat and that he has a history of criminal activity.
“In 2021, Rawat had stayed with a family in Rawatsar, Rajasthan, pretending to be a distant relative, before stealing from them and fleeing. He was later arrested, but after serving a short jail sentence and being released on bail, he continued with his method of deception.
“In 2023, the accused lived with a family in Sikar, Rajasthan, where he assumed the identity of their missing son, Pankaj. He later moved to Dehradun, where he spent four months with another family, claiming to be their son Monu,” the DCP said.
His travels also took him to Bhatinda in Punjab, Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, and Sirsa in Haryana, where he convinced families that he was their long-lost child, said the officer.
A serial thief, Rawat was abandoned by his own family in 2005 after being fed up of constant complaints about his petty thefts, according to police. He initially lived with several of his relatives for a few months before starting his spree to dupe other families in 2021, they added.
“Rawat’s modus operandi involved using emotionally charged, fabricated stories to win the sympathy and trust of families, often those who had missing children, making his deceptions more convincing.
“Once accepted into these homes, he would live a comfortable life, free from the need to work, while secretly stealing valuable goods from his hosts before disappearing when he felt his secret might be exposed,” said the DCP.
During interrogation, Rawat admitted that after being removed from his family in 2005, he worked as a labourer in fairs, but his habit of theft continued, officials said.
Police are now working to piece together his full criminal history, including his movements and activities from 2005 to 2021, and are investigating whether there are additional families that fell victim to his fake story.
Rawat has been arrested and is currently in judicial custody. Police investigations are on to uncover the full extent of his deceptive activities, said the officer. (PTI)