Mumbai: The Thane police’s crime branch busted a racket that procured death certificates of at least 13 persons, who are still alive, and duped the insurance companies to the tune of Rs 81 lakh. The officials of Kalyan unit of crime branch found that an employee of the crematorium in Mumbra secured some documents and roped in two doctors who would sign on their forged death certificates, which were later used to claim the insurance amount from the companies.
The arrested accused were identified as Chandrakant Shinde, the main accused who was apprehended from Kalyan, Tejpal Mehrol, the crematorium employee attached with the Mumbra section, who roped in doctors Abdul and Imran Siddique. The officials said that Mehrol made forged death certificates of 13 persons, including three from Andhra Pradesh and approached the doctors.
“The two doctors signed them to authenticate them. The certificates then were handed over to Shinde, who along with his family members Narayan Shinde, his wife Laxmi and others duped Bajaj Alliance and Birla Sun Life Insurance companies,” said an officer of the Thane crime branch.
The officials said that one of his family members was working with an insurance company and that they knew about the loopholes that could be used for their benefit, officials said. The accused duped the two companies by submitting the documents and staking claim to their policies.
The Kalyan unit of crime branch received a complaint in connection with the same, following which they began a discreet investigation and unearthed the racket. The officials said that the accused had laid their hands on Rs 55 lakh off the '81 lakh worth of claims made by them.
The police are on the look out of the other accused in the case.
