Hailed for coming to the aid of Indians in distress abroad, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday discovered to her chagrin that a “kidnapped” man in Serbia who she tried to help had staged his own abduction.
Hours after she responded to a call for rescuing an Indian allegedly abducted and tortured in Serbia, she aid the kidnapping was “stage-managed” and the video “fake”.
Here is what she tweeted:
Rajiv – I have all the facts before me. Your brother was not abducted. /1 @rajivsharma103 @IndiaInSerbia
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 23, 2017
He stage managed his own abduction and the video is fake. /2 @rajivsharma103 @IndiaInSerbia
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 23, 2017
However, @Indiainserbia intervened and your brother has been released by Serbian Police. He is returning on 25 March. /3 @rajivsharma103
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 23, 2017
I appreciate @IndiaInSerbia for the prompt response. /4
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 23, 2017
Swaraj, known to quickly help Indians in distress in foreign countries, intervened after she was approached by a netizen who tweeted:

The video accompanying the tweet showed a shirtless man with his hands tied being beaten up with a baton.
@SushmaSwaraj pic.twitter.com/OeVLqucZ0K
— rajeev sharma (@rajivsharma103) March 21, 2017
She later tweeted,
Vinay Mahajan has been found and is in safe custody of Serbian authorities. @rajivsharma103
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) March 23, 2017
“Mr Luther – This is because of the agent who sent him there. This agent deserves exemplary punishment. @ProtectorGenGOI,” she said in a series of tweets.