Ex-Insurance Agent Dupes Doctor of Rs 5.8 Lakh in Premium Scam
Bengaluru: A 45-year-old doctor from West Bengaluru was swindled out of Rs 5.8 lakh by her former insurance agent, who contacted her with a seemingly attractive offer: a 5% discount on her life insurance premiums. The doctor, identified as Dr. Sahana (name changed), lodged a complaint with the Basaveshwaranagar police detailing the elaborate fraud.
Dr. Sahana had two life insurance policies with a private firm, one with a premium of Rs 5 lakh and another with a premium of Rs 1 lakh. She had initially obtained the policies through the agent, Punit, five years prior but had not been in contact with him for a couple of years. The policies were due for renewal this year.
In January, Punit contacted Sahana by phone, urging her to make the payments through him to avail of the promised discount. Initially wary of the sudden contact, Sahana was hesitant. However, Punit’s knowledge of her workplace and his persistent explanation of the offer, which he claimed would save her approximately Rs 300,000, eventually convinced her.
After discussing the proposal with her husband, also a doctor, she agreed to make the payment. Punit, during the payment process, insisted that she make the payment to him directly, claiming that the discount was only applicable if the payment was made through him as an agent. She subsequently issued a cheque for Rs 5.8 lakh in his name.
Punit further instructed her to make the payment to the company via demand draft (DD). He secured her signature on the DD form, assuring her that the payment would be reflected in the company’s records within three days. He also promised to provide her with a receipt and a soft copy from the insurance company after processing.
Subsequently, Punit provided a receipt to her assistant at the hospital. However, a few days later, Rs 1 lakh was deducted from her account for the smaller policy because auto-payment was enabled. When she contacted Punit, he claimed it was an error he would rectify, but continuously delayed doing so. Recently, Sahana received a call from the insurance company reminding her about the second policy payment. That’s when she realized she had been cheated. She visited the insurance firm’s office and found out that Punit had been terminated two years prior.
An officer stated, “As [Punit] had data of the clients, he contacted many of them, and we suspect he has taken money from many people on the pretext of giving them a discount and cheated them.” The police are now trying to locate the accused, who is currently incommunicado. A case has been registered at Basaveshwaranagar police station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 318 (cheating) and 316 (criminal breach of trust).
