Bhilwara police have detained four people after a suspected insurance fraud case in which the body of a 36-year-old man was allegedly given electric shocks after death to make it appear that he had died by electrocution. The case, linked to insurance policies worth about ₹83 lakh, came to light after doctors at Mandal Hospital found the marks on the body suspicious and alerted police.
Suspicion Begins at Hospital
According to the information visible in the report, Gandhinagar police station in-charge Pushpa Kasotiya received a call from the sub-inspector of Mandal police station on the night of May 7 about a suspicious body brought to the hospital from the Mandal area. When police reached the hospital, an elderly woman named Champaben was found there. She told police that her son Deepak, 36, had died and that she was a resident of Naroda village in Ahmedabad district.
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The woman reportedly told police that three to four people had assured her that they would get her son treated at a private hospital and had brought him to the area on that pretext. Since it was night, they allegedly stayed at the house of Dalu Gadri in Malola village of Bhilwara. After some time, the people accompanying them went to eat, and Deepak died during that period. When his mother called them, they allegedly returned and made her sit outside the room.
Police were told that the accused then suggested presenting the death as an accident and taking the body to hospital. To make it appear that Deepak had died by electrocution, they allegedly burned one toe and one finger of his hand. The hospital was later informed that Deepak had been electrocuted while working in a field.
Doctor Flags Electrocution Marks
The report states that Dr. Rohit Sahrawat at Mandal Hospital became suspicious after seeing the body. The marks did not appear consistent with the claimed manner of electrocution. He also noticed marks of electrodes used for ECG on Deepak’s chest, after which police were informed.
Before police reached the spot, the people who had brought Deepak allegedly fled, leaving behind his mother and son. Deepak’s 14-year-old son told police that persons named Vishal, Suraj and Arjun had brought them there, while the driver’s name was Bharat Bhai. Based on mobile number location obtained from the boy, police detained four people from Gangrar toll plaza.
Deepak’s son also alleged that his father had earlier been taken to GPS Hospital in Ahmedabad, where an Aadhaar card was demanded. He was then taken to a private doctor named Chirag Bhai, who reportedly said that Deepak would not survive for long and would not make it through the night. The son further alleged that the family was told not to say the death was due to illness and to instead claim that Deepak had died of electrocution while working in a field.
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Deepak’s mother reportedly told police that Suraj and Vishal specifically targeted people in Gujarat who were alcohol-dependent, seriously ill or financially weak. They allegedly gave such people alcohol and paid them ₹3,000 every month, while also depositing insurance premiums on their behalf.
According to the report, Deepak had become addicted to alcohol after his wife’s death and had suffered kidney failure due to alcohol consumption. His son said that Deepak had been insured about a year earlier, but he did not die during that insurance period. When his condition later became serious, insurance was allegedly taken again. The family was reportedly told that Deepak’s death would bring about ₹4 lakh, while taking him to Rajasthan would arrange about ₹5 lakh.
The report says there were four different insurance policies worth about ₹83 lakh in Deepak’s name. Deepak’s son also claimed that the gang had similarly insured about 71 people in their village. A youth named Rakesh Sansi allegedly supplied alcohol to such people and arranged contacts in the name of labour work in Bhilwara.
Bhilwara SP Dharmendra Singh Yadav said the postmortem report, insurance documents and call details would be examined. He also said there was suspicion that a larger gang may be active behind the case, with possible involvement of insurance agents, surveyors and others. The report further states that Deepak’s family needed ₹16,000 to send the body to Gujarat, but did not have the money. Mandal MLA Udaylal Bhadana arranged a vehicle, while CI Pushpa Kasotiya and police personnel also provided financial assistance.
