Picture for representational purpose
Delhi Police has arrested a man for being part of a racket where people faked their deaths, and with the help of a gang, claimed insurance money. The gang first helped out people in need by giving them some money upfront. They then took out an insurance policy in their names, got fake death centificates and funeral certificates, and would claim the entire insurance amount. Police said in this case, a man, Dinesh Kumar, who was in need of money for his father’s treatment, was approached by members of the gang. They gave him some money and then applied for an insurance policy worth Rs 30 lakh in his name.
DCP (crime) Madhur Verma told The Indian Express that Kumar, is a labourer and hailed from Lucknow. He refused to share further details as investigation is underway and raids are on to nab the mastermind of the gang. According to police, the gang fakes the person’s death by getting a death certificate from Jhajjar municipal corporation in Haryana, as well as a funeral certificate, to claim the insurance. Police said the gang has been involved in many such cases.
Sources said investigators are also probing the role of a government official posted with the Jhajjar municipal corporation. “Investigators were surprised that the government agency had issued the death certificate to a man who is very much alive. A detailed probe is on,” a senior police officer said. Sources said a team of inter-state-cell of the crime branch recently received information that Dinesh is involved in fraud, and asked them to check records of the Jhajjar municipal corporation. “A team led by sub-inspector Gurmeet Singh informed senior officials and started the investigation. A team was sent to Jhajjar. On scanning the corporation’s records, they came to know Kumar died from tuberculosis on February 12, 2014. His death certificate said he died in a government hospital in Jhajjar,” sources added.
Investigation revealed that Kumar’s insurance policy was issued by insurance company AVIVA. “Police later met senior officials of the insurance company and came to know his insurance premium was Rs 2,095 per month. The mastermind, who is a resident of Laxmi Nagar, had applied online on March 25, 2014 — submitting relevant documents — to claim the insurance amount of Rs 30 lakh,” police sources said.
During investigation, police came to know that Kumar was alive and arrested him. They also found that the policy had been fradulently claimed. During interrogation, Dinesh told police that a few years ago, he met two men when he had taken his father to a government hospital. “They offered him some money and asked him to be a part of their plan. However, he was not aware of their modus-operandi,” an officer said.
