A heart-wrenching tale of abduction and survival has miraculously taken a turn with the return of a man kidnapped as a child from Ghaziabad to his family after 30 long years. The man, identified as Raju, now 37 years old, was abducted in 1993 when he was just seven years old while returning home from school with his sister.
The disappearance of Raju on September 8, 1993, left his family in Sahibabad, a locality near Ghaziabad, in a state of shock. Even though an official police report was filed, the case of the boy remained a mystery with no leads or sightings. His family had no answers for three decades while Raju’s life took a drastically different turn.
Struggles In Rajasthan
His abductors, as revealed by Raju, took him to Rajasthan, where they repeatedly tortured and forced labor from him. He says how the kidnappers regularly pounded his body and fed only a single roti during evening time. Every night, they tied him, preventing him from running away. During all these instances, Raju never lost his hope of getting reunited with his family.
How Did He Escape?
After years of hardship, Raju managed to escape from his captors. He ran and came back to Delhi, but he had no recollection of the area in which he had lived or of his parents’ names. Still resolute to look for some help, he went through several police stations, and it was not until five days ago, when he reached the Khoda police station in Ghaziabad, that he finally received the help.
These constables at Khoda Station not only provided him food, water, and gave him shoes but also through some media and social media avenues, they let people read his story. Within weeks, his uncle spotted that post and called the appropriate authorities. This ended into an emotional reunion for sure.
As Raju sat at a Hanuman temple near the police station, he said he was feeling deeply grateful for his miraculous return. “I am feeling so good now,” Raju told reporters, visibly moved by the events. “I thank Lord Hanuman. For days, I prayed that he reunite me with my family.”
He then relates how the daughter of his captor encouraged him to worship Lord Hanuman and inspired him to try and run away and find his family. Support and perhaps even the divine faith Raju had in his prayers all seem to have gone to make for a most bold escape.
Police Confirm Story
Senior police officer Rajnish Upadhyay confirmed the account of Raju and said an investigation into the matter was already underway. The emotional reunion of Raju with his family has been marked as a notable moment in the otherwise tragic circumstances surrounding his abduction.
