Insurance Fraud Uncovered in Prayagraj
Authorities in Prayagraj have busted a syndicate involved in a massive insurance fraud, where miscreants used fake death certificates to claim over ₹34 lakh in insurance payouts. The fraud came to light after an alert from a life insurance company.
According to the FIR filed by Rahul Banerjee, chief manager of Reliance Nippon Life Insurance, the syndicate had been active since April 2023. They obtained life insurance policies using fake identities and documents, insured individuals through impersonation, and then filed death claims to pocket the insurance amounts.
The investigation revealed a complex web of deceit involving multiple individuals and forged documents. In one case, two life insurance policies were issued in the name of Khushboo Vishwakarma – one for ₹13,12,480 and another for ₹21,58,894. The nominee in both policies was her husband, Ajay Kumar Vishwakarma. A death claim was filed for Khushboo, stating she had passed away on June 1, 2024. However, the insurance company’s investigation uncovered that the photograph submitted with the policy application was not of Khushboo but of a relative, Satya Devi, who was alive and allegedly part of the conspiracy. It was found that Khushboo had actually died in 2022.
The insurance company’s sales manager, Ankur Kumar Srivastava, was implicated in the fraud. He allegedly processed these policies after being introduced to a key accused, Vijay Vishwakarma, by his former branch manager. Vijay Vishwakarma is accused of supplying forged documents, and commissions from the policies were transferred into the bank account of Neelam Vishwakarma, an acquaintance who was allegedly made a marketing executive.
The police have registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including cheating by personation, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, forgery for cheating, using forged documents as genuine, and criminal conspiracy. Sub-inspector Vinay Kumar Yadav has been tasked with the investigation.
The case highlights the need for stringent verification processes in the insurance industry to prevent such fraudulent activities. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working to uncover the full extent of the syndicate’s operations.
