Varanasi Insurance Fraud: Woman and Agent Forge Death Certificate to Claim Lakhs
In a shocking case from Varanasi, a woman, allegedly in collusion with an insurance agent, managed to get lakhs of rupees transferred into her bank account by proving her father-in-law dead using a forged death certificate and other fraudulent policy documents. The incident came to light when the actual policyholder, 82-year-old Dudhnath Singh, approached the insurance company officials, prompting an immediate investigation.
Details of the Fraudulent Scheme
The investigation revealed that of five insurance policies sold to Singh by the same agent, a total claim of Rs 19.31 lakh was filed. Out of this amount, Rs 13.34 lakh was directly transferred to the bank account of Singh's daughter-in-law. The insurance company, upon discovering the discrepancies, filed a formal police complaint. Sigra police inspector Sanjay Kumar Mishra confirmed that an FIR was lodged against the daughter-in-law and the insurance agent on charges of cheating and forgery this past Wednesday.
It was uncovered that Singh's daughter-in-law had produced a forged death certificate dated May 13, 2024, to falsely claim that her father-in-law had died a natural death. Using this fabricated document, she successfully filed the insurance claim, leading to the settlement amount being deposited into her personal bank account.
Investigation Uncovers Multiple Irregularities
The company's internal probe exposed several alarming irregularities in the policies. All five policies were sourced by the same agent without proper verification of essential KYC documents, such as date of birth and Aadhaar numbers. Additionally, critical details varied across the policies, and the photos and signatures of the policyholder, Dudhnath Singh, did not match on the documents. Notably, the daughter-in-law was listed as a witness in all the policies, raising further suspicions.
Further scrutiny revealed that the premiums for all three active policies were paid digitally from the same bank account belonging to the daughter-in-law—the very account into which the death claim amount was later transferred. This pattern pointed to a premeditated scheme.
Broader Implications and Police Action
The investigation also brought to light that death settlements in five other policies sold by the same agent were dubious. Of the total claim amount of Rs 19.31 lakh across all policies, Rs 13.34 lakh was funneled into the daughter-in-law's account. With clear evidence that the daughter-in-law and the agent were hand in glove, the insurance company emphasized the need for a thorough police investigation to uncover other individuals involved, including those responsible for issuing the fake death certificates.
This case highlights significant lapses in the insurance verification process and underscores the importance of stringent KYC norms to prevent such fraudulent activities in the future.
