The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has arrested Dinesh Bansal, the prime accused in a major Rs 30 crore insurance fraud involving fraudulent car accident claims. The arrest, made on Sunday, comes after a comprehensive investigation into the scam that involved several individuals, including former employees of Tata AIG General Insurance Company and licensed surveyors.
The case, initially registered in 2022, followed a complaint by Virender Pal Singh, Head of the Fraud Control Unit at Tata AIG. The company had uncovered a racket involving six garages across Delhi-NCR, which, in collusion with four former Tata AIG employees, three licensed surveyors, and several policyholders, submitted fake invoices for vehicle repairs that were never performed. This fraudulent activity led to a loss of approximately Rs 30 crore.
Further investigations revealed numerous irregularities, including the submission of multiple high-value claims for the same vehicle, the use of identical images for different accident claims, discrepancies in the accounts of incidents by vehicle owners and drivers, and tampered vehicle registration details.
According to the police, Dinesh Bansal operated four workshops—three in the names of his wife and an associate—and masterminded the submission of hundreds of fake insurance claims. The claims were primarily staged to cite airbag damage, with each claim ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh. Between February 2019 and August 2021, more than 500 claims were processed.
To facilitate the fraud, Bansal allegedly worked with Tata AIG insiders, offering them kickbacks of around 15% per claim. The proceeds from the fraud were laundered through eight shell companies, with the help of a chartered accountant who reportedly charged a 10% commission.
Bansal was arrested after being tracked through technical surveillance in the Samaypur Badli Industrial Area. Two former Tata AIG officials, Pradeep Rana (Chief Manager) and Deepak Sharma (Examiner), were arrested earlier in April 2024 for allegedly aiding the fraudulent activities. Another accused, Raju Singh, has been in judicial custody since August 2024.
Bansal, a Class 10 pass-out and native of Haryana, had moved to Delhi 25 years ago. Initially running a second-hand car business, he later expanded into the workshop business, using his operations to stage fraudulent insurance claims.
The investigation is ongoing, and further legal proceedings are expected as the EOW continues to unravel the extent of the fraud.
