Salman Khan's ex Somy Ali offers $5,000 reward in 16-year search for missing actor Raj Kiran

More than two decades after actor Raj Kiran vanished without a trace, former actor and activist Somy Ali has intensified her search by offering a $5,000 reward for credible information about his whereabouts. In a heartfelt social media post, she said her years-long mission is driven by both personal concern and a promise she made to the late Rishi Kapoor. 

Raj Kiran, once a familiar face in Hindi cinema with films including 'Karz', disappeared in the early 2000s. Despite repeated attempts by his family, friends and investigators over the years, no confirmed information about his location has emerged, making his disappearance one of Bollywood's longest-running mysteries.

Somy Ali says search began after conversation with Rishi Kapoor

In a lengthy Instagram post, Somy recalled that her determination to trace Raj Kiran stemmed from a conversation with Rishi Kapoor during a film shoot. While discussing 'Karz' and remembering Raj Kiran's performance in the film, the pair spoke about the actor's unexplained disappearance and decided they would try to find him.

Although Kapoor died in 2020, Somy said she has continued the mission alone, honouring the promise she made to him.

"I made a promise to Chintu ji during a shoot and before he left us that I will never stop my search for Raj Kiran. This is my 16th year. I have knocked on random doors via addresses given to me by private investigators. I found an apartment in New York where the front desk man told me that he never saw Raj Kiran, but his brother, Gobind, Judy, Gobind's wife, and their daughter lived in that apartment for 11 years," she wrote.

Shares evidence of years-long efforts

Somy accompanied her post with photographs and screenshots that she said documented her investigation. She described contacting Raj Kiran's relatives, including his brother Gobind and sister-in-law Judy, but said none of those efforts had yielded answers.

"I have reached out to everyone from his family, but to no avail. It's not just a promise I made to Chintu ji, but also because I am genuinely concerned whether Raj ji is okay or being kept somewhere under coercion," she added.

Appealing to the public, Somy also announced a financial reward for verified information that could help locate the missing actor.

"While it's not a huge reward, if anyone can provide a legitimate address, whether it is a mental health facility or an apartment, you will be rewarded. Please help. Thank you."

Letter reveals plan to involve NYPD

Among the documents she posted was a letter that she said had been sent to Judy through LinkedIn. In the message, Somy explained that she had even considered filing a missing person's report with the New York Police Department if all other efforts failed.

"My last resort was to file a missing person's report with the NYPD and offer a reward of $5,000 to anyone who could provide legitimate information," the letter read.

She also said the search had come at a personal financial cost.

"I have nothing to gain from this. As I mentioned, I have spent money, some borrowed from my mother and the rest from my own savings, just to find him. I urge you to be kind in this predicament and show him my message," she wrote.

Raj Kiran's disappearance remains unresolved

Speculation over Raj Kiran's whereabouts has persisted for more than two decades, with no verified account emerging despite repeated attempts to trace the actor.

One of the strongest rebuttals to the rumours came from his daughter, Rishika Mahata, who dismissed claims that her father was living at a psychiatric institution in Atlanta. She said the family itself had spent years searching for him, working with private investigators as well as the New York Police, but had found no trace of him.

"He is not in Atlanta. We have been looking for him for over eight years. We have involved the New York Police and hired private detectives to find him, but he has not been found," she told Mid-day.

Rishika also addressed widespread speculation surrounding her father's health, acknowledging that he had struggled with mental health issues before he disappeared while stressing that the family had hoped to deal with the matter privately until misleading reports forced them to respond.

"He was the most loving father. Yes, he suffered from some mental health issues before he disappeared. We wanted to deal with this privately, but the false reports forced me to speak out. It was unfair to my mother."

Long before Rishika challenged those reports, Rishi Kapoor had shared a different account after speaking to Raj Kiran's brother, Gobind. Kapoor said he had been told that the actor was alive and undergoing treatment at a psychiatric institution in Atlanta.

"I was relieved when Govind told me Raj was alive. But he was confined to an institution in Atlanta because of health issues," Rishi had told journalist Subhash K. Jha.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, meanwhile, offered a separate glimpse into Raj Kiran's struggles, recalling an earlier visit to the actor during his treatment at Mumbai's Masina Hospital. Bhatt said the once-energetic performer appeared withdrawn and found it difficult to communicate.

"Many years ago, when he was in the psychiatric ward of Masina Hospital, he was not the Raj Kiran I had known. He looked sombre and depressed, and spoke with great difficulty. There was none of the energy or enthusiasm that we associated with him," Mahesh said.