The Bizarre Cremation That Exposed A ₹50 Lakh Fraud
In a scene straight out of a crime thriller, Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday foiled an audacious insurance fraud attempt when a man from Delhi arrived at Hapur's Brijghat cremation ground with what he claimed was a dead body, but turned out to be a carefully wrapped mannequin.
The incident unfolded when Kamal Somani, 32, from Kailashpuri colony in Palam, Delhi, arrived at the cremation ground with an accomplice, presenting what appeared to be a corpse prepared for last rites by hospital staff. The 'body' was transported in a car and neatly wrapped and sealed to appear genuine.
The Unraveling of the Elaborate Plot
When the cremation ground staff insisted on seeing the body before proceeding with the final rites, Somani and his companion became defensive. They insisted that the corpse had been handed over to them by staff at a Palam-based hospital and should be cremated as it was without any inspection.
Growing suspicious, the staff forcibly opened the covering and were stunned to discover a mannequin instead of a human corpse. Police were immediately alerted and intervened in the situation.
During questioning, Somani confessed to the elaborate plot. Garhmukteshwar circle officer Stuti Singh revealed the shocking details: "Somani admitted that he had taken out an insurance policy worth ₹50 lakh last year in the name of his employee, Anshul Kumar. He had been regularly paying premiums on that policy."
The Motive and Investigation Findings
The investigation uncovered that Somani planned to cremate the dummy, obtain a death certificate for Anshul Kumar, and then claim the massive insurance payout. He had even used Kumar's Aadhaar and PAN cards under false pretenses to execute his plan.
In a dramatic twist, police used Somani's phone to contact the supposedly deceased Anshul Kumar. "Interestingly, when we contacted Kumar, he was perfectly fine and had no idea about his own 'death'," Singh stated.
Police revealed that Somani's motive stemmed from huge debts of ₹50 lakh that he had accumulated. The owner of a dry fruit shop, Somani had suffered massive losses during the pandemic months and had taken a substantial loan that he was unable to repay.
Police have detained Somani while releasing his aide, believing the accomplice was unaware of the actual plot. An FIR will be filed against Somani under relevant sections of the law.
This case comes amid growing concerns about insurance frauds across India. The Times of India had previously reported how police in Sambhal exposed a massive insurance scam spread across 11 states, involving hundreds of crores of rupees. That investigation began in January when UP Police intercepted an SUV in Sambhal and recovered cash, forged PAN cards, Aadhaar details and other fake documents, eventually leading to an Enforcement Directorate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in May.
