MP tribal family claims Indian spy arrested in Pakistan to be their mentally ill son

Raju Laxman's brother Dilip appealed to PM Modi and his Pakistan counterpart for his elder sibling’s safe return. 
Raju Laxmanin Pak custody (Photo by special arrangement)
Raju Laxmanin Pak custody (Photo by special arrangement)

BHOPAL: A poor Bheel tribal family in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh has claimed that the man reportedly arrested in Pakistan recently for allegedly spying on a nuclear enrichment facility in eastern Punjab province is actually their mentally challenged son Raju Laxman, who has been missing since around two weeks.

“How can a man who can’t even wear clean clothes on his own, properly eat food spy on Pakistan. Raju often went missing for 15 days to a month, but was always traced back from different parts of Khandwa. He has never ever gone out of the district, we don’t know how he landed in Pakistan,” said Raju’s younger brother Dilip.

A Class V drop out , the 30-year-old Raju is eldest among two sons and a daughter of small farmer-cum-labourer Laxman and Basanta Bai. His family claims that he has been mentally disturbed for over 15 years now.

“We lost our house in the Indira Sagar Dam around a decade and half back and got Rs 93,000 as compensation from the government. That money was used to repay a bank loan for agriculture and digging a well. We’ve three acres land which is hardly enough to feed our family, so both me and father also have to work as labourers to make both ends meet,” said Dilip. “Dearth of money forced us to stop Raju’s psychiatric treatment midway around seven years back. Subsequently, we even went to dargahs and temples to dispossess him of evil spirits, but the exorcists couldn’t help his cause.

He was married twice in last seven years, but both his wives left him owing to his mental condition. Like he often goes missing, Raju again went missing around two weeks back, but we didn’t report it to police thinking he would be back maximum within a fortnight,” said Dilip.

“But two days back, the cops came to our house and showed pictures of Raju in Pakistan security forces captivity for alleged spying. Not only our family, but other residents of the village also confirmed to the cops that the man in the picture is no one else, but our Raju. The cops have returned with documents about his identity and mental illness from us. We now pray both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan to release my brother and ensure his safe return home,” appealed Dilip.

When contacted by The New Indian Express in the matter, the Khandwa district police chief Dr Shiv Dayal refused any comment. With the poor Bheel family living in a hut in an obscure village in Punasa block of Khandwa district claiming that the man arrested in Pakistan is their mentally challenged son Raju Laxman, it could turn out to be yet another case of mentally challenged youngsters and men from MP ending up in Pakistani territory. 

In the past, youngsters, including Budhram Marko from Dindori district and Jitendra Arjunwar from Seoni district were found languishing in Pakistani jails. Recently, a 26-year-old mentally challenged Anil Kumar Saket who went missing from native Rewa district in January 2015 was found lodged at a jail in Lahore.

On Thursday, the Pakistan Police claimed that they had arrested an Indian spy identified as Rajo aka Raju Laxman, who was found spying on nuclear enrichment facility in Rakhi Gaj area of Dera Ghazi Khan (Dg Khan) district of eastern Punjab province. Pakistan Police said that Laxman was arrested on July 29 while entering the DG Khan area from Balochistan province.

He has been sent to a secret place for further investigation. Pakistan Police have also provided some evidence against Indian Spy and said that Alleged Indian Spy, Raju Lakshman had worn ‘Lux-Cozi’ inner-wear which is an Indian Brand so it proves that Raju Lakshman is an Indian Spy who was trying to spy on a nuclear enrichment facility in eastern Punjab province. A message being circulated by Pakistani agencies named the alleged spy’s mother as Basanta Bai and sister Mamta.

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