Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Conman convicted for impersonating wealthy landlord’s missing son for 41 years in Bihar

Concealing his identity, he went to college, got married and raised a family.

Conman convicted for impersonating wealthy landlord’s missing son for 41 years in Bihar

A court in the north Indian state of Bihar has jailed a man who impersonated the missing son of an influential landlord and sold part of his property.

After four decades of hearing, Dayanand Gosai, 60, was convicted of cheating, impersonation and conspiracy to seize the property of Kameshwar Singh who believed he was his son.

It all began in early 1977 when Kanhaiya, the teenage son of Kameshwar Singh in the Murgawan village of Nalanda, disappeared without leaving behind any clue. A complaint was lodged with the local police but the boy was not found.

Some four years later in 1981, Singh heard the news that a 20-year-old man was found in a nearby village, living like a monk and begging for a living. The youth claimed he was the son of a wealthy man of Murgawan.

Singh, who had been convinced by a shaman that his son was alive, travelled to the village and met the young man. As his fellow villagers who accompanied him told him that the youth was indeed his son, Singh brought him home, not knowing that he was Gosai.

While Singh mistook Gosai for Kanhaiya, the landlord’s wife Ramsakhi Devi had doubts. She could not find a cut mark on his head that Kanhaiya had. Her suspicions grew stronger when Gosai could not identify his teachers. She complained to the police and the youth was arrested for impersonation.

But he managed to come out on bail. Concealing his identity, Gosai went to college, got married and raised a family. Securing multiple fake identity cards, he voted, paid taxes, gave biometrics for a national identity card, secured a gun licence and sold 37 acres of Singh's property, a BBC report said.

According to official records, his name was Kanhaiya Ji, with his date of birth being inconsistent.

During the hearing, Ramsakhi Devi had said there was a conspiracy to grab her family’s property taking advantage of her husband's ill health and failing eyesight.

Singh died in 1991 and his wife passed away four years later.

Throughout the saga, Gosai refused to undergo a DNA test which could have established that he was not the son of the couple.

Investigators traced his origin to a village called Jamui where he was born to a farmer. But he went on to produce a “death certificate” which stated that Dayanand Gosain was dead.

The court found inconsistency in the certificate and sentenced the father of two sons and three daughters to seven years of "rigorous imprisonment”.

However, the fate of Kanhaiya remains unknown.

More For You

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

Prince Harry criticised tech companies for citing privacy laws to deny access

Getty

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called for stronger protections for children online, warning that not enough is being done to shield young people from the dangers of social media

During a visit to New York, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unveiled a new memorial dedicated to the memory of children whose families believe harmful online content contributed to their deaths. The installation, named the Lost Screen Memorial, features 50 smartphones, each displaying an image of a child lost to what their families describe as the adverse effects of social media. The memorial was made available to the public for 24 hours.

Keep ReadingShow less
Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

Afghan refugees arrive at a camp near the Torkham border last Sunday (20)

Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

MORE than 100,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the past three weeks, the interior ministry said on Tuesday (22), after Islamabad announced the cancellation of residence permits.

Calling Afghans “terrorists and criminals”, the Pakistan government launched its mass eviction campaign on April 1. Analysts said the expulsions are designed to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, which Islamabad blames for fuelling a rise in border attacks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

Energy secretary Ed Miliband reads a letter from Britain's King Charles III during the Future of Energy Security Summit at Lancaster House on April 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

THE government has announced an initial £300 million investment to strengthen domestic offshore wind supply chains ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The funding will be distributed through Great British Energy, the country's publicly-owned clean energy company.

Prime minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (24) said the investment aims to support jobs and help the UK reach clean power by 2030.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-pahalgam-getty

'I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,' Modi said in his first speech since the incident.

Getty Images

Modi vows to hunt Kashmir attackers ‘to the ends of the Earth’

INDIA and Pakistan have exchanged a series of diplomatic measures after prime minister Narendra Modi blamed Pakistan for a deadly shooting in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.

Modi said India would identify and punish those behind the attack and accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Trump also announced an initiative on historically black colleges and universities and signed orders on AI education and workforce development.

Getty Images

Trump signs orders targeting university diversity policies and accreditation

DONALD TRUMP signed a set of executive orders on Wednesday aimed at US universities, focusing on foreign donations, college accreditation, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

One order directs the federal government to enforce existing laws requiring universities to disclose large foreign gifts. Another addresses accreditation, which Trump has described as a “secret weapon.”

Keep ReadingShow less