Truth behind Raju's false kidnapping tales: Rajasthan man deceived nine families

In a tale stranger than fiction, a man known as "Raju," who claimed to be a long-lost kidnapping victim, was unmasked as Indraj Raj, a serial impostor from Rajasthan. His web of lies unraveled after a DNA test, revealing years of emotional manipulation across multiple families.

The Birth of the Fake Identity

The story began on November 23 when a man calling himself Raju approached the Khoda police station. He spun a harrowing tale of being kidnapped in 1993 while returning home from school. Raju alleged he was taken to Rajasthan, held captive, tortured, and forced to herd goats in a remote shack.

Police unearthed a missing persons report filed 31 years ago by a Rajasthan family. When the family was brought in, Raju confidently identified them as his parents. He was handed over, seemingly reuniting with his long-lost family.

But the narrative took a dramatic twist. Investigations revealed that Raju had been living with another family in Dehradun earlier that year, from April to November 2024, using the same kidnapping story to establish himself as their son.

The Truth Exposed

On December 3, a DNA test laid bare the truth. Raju was not the missing son he claimed to be but Indraj Raj, a resident of Rajasthan. Under interrogation, Indraj confessed to orchestrating his abduction tales, deceiving nine families across different states over four years. He would live with these families as their "lost son" before concocting reasons to disappear.

A Troubled Past

Indraj’s journey of deception began in 2011 when his father, Chunnilal, disowned him due to his unruly behavior. Stripped of his inheritance, Indraj adopted the alias "Raju" and embarked on a spree of emotional manipulation, exploiting families yearning for closure.

While police confirmed he committed no theft or fraud during his stays, they are working to trace the remaining families impacted by his deception.