Authorities in India are investigating two separate incidents in which individuals allegedly attempted to secure large insurance payouts through staged deaths and document falsification.
The cases, which span the states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, have raised questions about the effectiveness of current insurance verification processes and the potential risks for insurers operating in the region.
In Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, police have detained two suspects following the death of Mukesh Singhal, a 55-year-old photographer.
According to police statements reported by Hindustan Times, Singhal’s son, Vishal Kumar, is accused of arranging his father’s death in order to claim benefits from 60 accident insurance policies, collectively valued at approximately ₹39 crore.
These policies, issued by various insurers over a two-year period, named Vishal as the primary beneficiary.
Authorities reported that Vishal had already received around ₹1 crore in payouts from several insurance providers.
The investigation further revealed that Vishal’s mother and wife had also died in separate incidents previously classified as accidents – with insurance claims of ₹80 lakh and ₹30 lakh paid out following their deaths.
The inquiry began after an insurance company representative filed a complaint at Hapur Nagar police station, expressing concerns about the legitimacy of the claims.
Police said that inconsistencies were found in Vishal’s account of his father’s death, including discrepancies between the reported time of the incident and hospital records, as well as differences between the described injuries and the postmortem findings.
Additionally, authorities noted irregularities in Vishal’s identification documents and a lack of information regarding the vehicle involved in the alleged accident.
Additional superintendent of police Vineet Bhatnagar said authorities are investigating whether Vishal played a role in the deaths of his relatives in order to secure insurance benefits.
“Details regarding the total premium paid for all these policies will be compiled during the course of the investigation,” Bhatnagar said, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Police also allege that Vishal withheld documents from insurers and attempted to influence the investigation through bribery.
A separate case in Punjab involves a group accused of attempting to claim ₹1 crore in insurance benefits by falsely declaring a 20-year-old man deceased.
The complainant, also named Vishal, reported that his personal documents were misused to purchase four insurance policies.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the group allegedly created fraudulent identification and submitted a fabricated death declaration, supported by a forged death certificate and other falsified documents.
The scheme was exposed when local officials attempted to verify the death and discovered that the individual was alive. The insurance claim was not paid out, and the incident was reported to the police.
Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Bhupinder Singh Sidhu confirmed that an investigation is ongoing.
“Teams have been formed and raids are being conducted to trace the accused. Appropriate action would be taken once the allegations are found true,” he said, as reported by Hindustan Times.
