In a significant operation, the Sambhal police in Uttar Pradesh have dismantled an interstate insurance fraud gang, arresting six members allegedly involved in issuing fake life insurance policies and fraudulently claiming benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY). The gang operated across eight states over the past seven years, swindling crores of rupees.
The Sambhal police uncovered that the gang secured insurance policies for individuals with serious illnesses, such as cancer, and claimed the benefits upon their deaths by posing as family members or dependents. The arrested individuals include Sharukh Khan, Hirendra Kumar, Sanju alias Roop Kishore, Prem Pal, Prem Singh Yadav, and Neelam, all local residents.
The police investigation revealed that Prem Pal and Prem Singh, who worked for a mobile company, provided fraudulent SIM cards used by the gang members to open bank accounts in the names of insurance policy nominees. Neelam, an ASHA worker, supplied vital information about seriously ill individuals for the gang’s fraudulent activities.
During the operation, authorities seized 81 bank passbooks, 16 checkbooks, 35 debit cards, 18 PAN cards, 51 insurance policy forms, 31 death certificates, and various fraudulent documents, including fake bank seals and laptops. These were used to facilitate the scam by obtaining fake death certificates and fraudulently claiming life insurance and PMJJBY benefits.
The scam was exposed after a detailed investigation led by SP Krishna Kumar Bishnoi and ASP Anukriti Sharma. The police found that the gang operated in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal, where they targeted seriously ill individuals, including cancer patients and the elderly, offering false promises of life insurance.
A closer examination revealed that the gang would insure individuals after their deaths and fraudulently obtain death certificates to bypass the mandatory waiting period of 45 days for PMJJBY claims. For example, they fraudulently insured a cancer patient six months after their death, obtaining a fake death certificate and claiming the insurance payout. Another case saw a Ghaziabad resident insured three months posthumously, with a fake accidental death certificate used to claim benefits from two different insurance companies.
The mastermind behind the operation, Omkareshwar Mishra, was a former investigating officer for two insurance companies. He played a key role in ensuring the legitimacy of fraudulent documents, including verifying fake death certificates to facilitate payouts.
In total, the gang’s operations have raised suspicions that the scale of fraud may be much larger, with potential losses estimated in the hundreds of crores.
