Insurance Scam: Delhi Woman Duped, Loses Life Savings
Sarvesh Kumari lost her husband a year ago to a kidney ailment. Struggling financially with three children to raise, she sought help, hoping money would come through from a ‘government scheme.’ Instead, she was ensnared in a web of deceit.
Sarvesh Kumari at her home in Kotla Masjid in Mayur Vihar Phase 1 (Express Photo/Abhinav Saha)
In January 2025, Sarvesh received devastating news from the Sambhal Police. She had been a victim of an elaborate insurance scam.
Her husband, Mukesh, passed away on October 3rd. The family’s income was limited to Rs 1,300 a day from a small cart, and they were struggling with rent of Rs 40,000. They had hoped for financial relief when approached by two men from their village who offered to help them get money from a government scheme.
“He (the landlord) comes every day and says he will lock the room. I have three little children, what do I do?” Sarvesh said.
The scheme involved signing up for a government life insurance program. Unbeknownst to Sarvesh, the two men from the village were part of an interstate racket that fraudulently exploited the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana (PMJJY). The scheme promised coverage of Rs 2 lakh at a low premium.
Sixteen people have been arrested. They included the investigating officer and head of an investigating agency that looked into the claims, plus two deputy managers of a private bank.
Sarvesh recounted how the men took her husband’s prescriptions and identification and assured them that money would come. After her husband passed, they told her she would receive money through the scheme and took her to an office in Sambhal. She provided her Aadhaar card and her husband’s prescriptions. They then took her pictures, fingerprinted her and scanned her eyes, promising the money would arrive soon.
On February 26, she was informed by the Sambhal Police that the scammers had applied for a fake life insurance policy for her husband. They opened an account under her name to falsely identify her as the beneficiary. They even submitted fake death certificates, and pocketed Rs 20 lakh with inside help.
According to Anukriti Sharma, Additional Superintendent of Police (Sambhal), the police had been investigating the fraud when they discovered Mukesh’s account. Once identified, they contacted Sarvesh and informed her of the scam, asking her to file a First Information Report.
Sambhal SP Krishna Kumar Bishnoi explained the modus operandi. The gang gathered information about severely ill people in villages via ASHA workers, who received commissions. They would enroll deceased individuals for insurance policies, with the scammers listed as the nominees.
Sharma added that the criminals opened insurance accounts in the names of people who had already died, created fake death certificates, and fabricated medical documents to make claims. “They prepared a new date of death of the person to claim the insurance of multiple policies, in case they are caught in one,” Sharma said.
The police stated that the scam was perpetrated through a wide network operated through insurance investigation agencies that helped the scammers twist the system.
Now, Sarvesh is left with a profound sense of loss and betrayal. “It was so much money. I thought they were helping me…,” she stated with tears in her eyes. Sharma said there are thousands like Sarvesh. “And that is why I’m even more concerned because ultimately, the insurance companies register cases against nominees like her if they eventually find out it’s a fraud…”
