In a breakthrough in a year-old murder case, Sambhal Police have arrested four individuals involved in the cold-blooded killing of a specially-abled man, Dariyab, for the purpose of claiming a Rs 51 lakh life insurance payout.
The investigation was led by the police teams from Chandausi and Bahjoi stations, who uncovered that the murder was orchestrated to misappropriate Dariyab’s insurance money. Among the arrested individuals is Pankaj Raghav, an advisor at Axis Max Life Insurance.
Sambhal SP Krishan Bishnoi confirmed that the victim was first struck on the head with a hammer and then run over by a car. “His close relatives initially filed a rash-driving complaint against unknown individuals. However, the case remained stagnant for several months due to a lack of evidence,” Bishnoi said in a video statement.
The case took a turn when Tata AIA, the life insurance division of Tata, provided crucial information to the police, linking the victim’s death to potential insurance fraud. Following this tip-off, the police reopened the investigation, which led them to a shocking discovery.
The police learned that two brothers, Hariom and Vinod, conspired with Pankaj Raghav to take out multiple life insurance policies in Dariyab’s name throughout 2023. In August 2024, the trio allegedly hired criminal Pratap to murder the victim in a bid to claim the full insurance amount.
Before the scam was uncovered, the accused had already received Rs 15 lakh in insurance payouts. Police recovered the murder weapon, a hammer, and documents related to the fraudulent insurance policies. The four arrested individuals are now in custody.
