In a bizarre and chilling tale of deception, a man managed to con several families across six states, posing as their long-lost son who had been kidnapped decades ago. This extraordinary scam, which unfolded in Ghaziabad, raises serious questions about the vulnerability of society and the ease with which trust can be manipulated.

On November 24th, a man walked into the Khoda Police Station in Ghaziabad and told a heart-wrenching story: he had been kidnapped 31 years ago, forced into bonded labor by a sheep herder in Jaisalmer, and had only recently escaped. With an air of desperation, he pleaded with the police to help him reunite with his long-lost family. The police, believing his story, immediately sprang into action and began investigating. They scoured records for families who had lost their sons around that time.

The investigation led to four families who had been searching for their missing sons for over three decades. The man was brought in to meet these families, and in an emotional scene, he identified one woman as his mother. She, too, called him by the name "Bhim" — the name of her missing son. The mother broke down in tears, and the police, thrilled at having helped reunite a family, were congratulated for their efforts.

However, the father of the supposed "lost son," Tularam, was not as easily convinced. While the mother accepted the man without question, the father was skeptical. Something about the reunion didn't sit right with him. He felt that his supposed son was behaving strangely, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. A week later, he went to the police station and expressed his doubts.

Just as the case was gaining attention on social media and YouTube, a shocking twist emerged. A family from Dehradun contacted the Ghaziabad police, claiming that the man was not Bhim, but their long-lost son, Monu, who had been missing for years. This revelation stunned the police, prompting further investigation.

It turned out that the same man had visited a police station in Dehradun just a few months earlier, in July, and had told a similar story of being kidnapped and forced into bonded labor. The Dehradun police had helped him and, like in Ghaziabad, found a family who accepted him as their lost son. He lived with the Dehradun family for months, posing as Monu, until he left to find another family to con.

After the truth came to light, the man was detained by the Ghaziabad police. Upon interrogation, they discovered that he was not a lost son at all, but rather a petty thief named Indraj Meghwal from Jaitsar, Rajasthan. He had been kicked out of his home by his father in 2005 due to his criminal activities. For the next several years, Indraj drifted from place to place, living with various relatives, doing odd jobs, and stealing when the opportunity arose.

In 2021, he posed as a relative of a family and managed to steal from their house. He was caught and jailed for six months. After his release, he began to use his "lost son" scam to exploit vulnerable families. His method was simple but effective: he went to police stations, told a sob story about being kidnapped and forced into bonded labor, and then waited for police to help him reconnect with families who had been grieving the loss of their sons.

Indraj's scam spanned six states: he lived as "Rampratap," the son of Asharam in Sri Ganganagar, and "Pankaj," the son of Gauram Nayak in Sikar. He even managed to fool families in Sirsa, Hisar, Bhatinda, and Dehradun. Each time, he moved in with the families, convinced them he was their long-lost son, and lived with them for months before moving on to another unsuspecting family. He relied on the help of the police, who, thinking they were reuniting families, facilitated his con.

As the investigation progressed, it became clear that Indraj had used this method to con at least nine families across India. Now under arrest, the police are concerned that there may be even more victims who have not yet come forward. As the news spreads, it's possible that other families will realize they, too, were duped by this master manipulator.

This case serves as a chilling reminder of how easily trust can be exploited. The fact that a complete stranger could enter a family’s home, pose as a lost child, and stay with them for months is deeply unsettling. It raises serious concerns about the vulnerabilities in our social fabric, where even the most innocent-seeming individuals can manipulate others for personal gain.

It’s also a stark reflection of the role that police play in such situations. While the officers involved in these cases likely believed they were doing good work by helping reuniting families, they were unwittingly facilitating the man’s scam. This highlights the importance of skepticism and thorough investigation before jumping to conclusions, especially in emotionally charged cases involving missing persons.

The story of Indraj Meghwal is not just a case of petty theft; it's a stark reminder of how easily human emotions, trust, and the desire for closure can be exploited. As the case continues to unfold, it serves as a cautionary tale for anyone who might be too quick to believe in a story that seems too good to be true.