Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district has emerged as the epicenter of one of India’s most disturbing financial crimes — an insurance scam valued at nearly ₹100 crore, allegedly spanning 12 states. More horrifying is the modus operandi: fraud by way of cold-blooded murder.
The gang, now under police scanner, has allegedly killed at least four people to fraudulently claim insurance money. Sambhal SP KK Vishnoi confirmed that 17 FIRs have been registered and 51 people arrested in connection with the case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also been approached for further investigation.
According to Sambhal Additional SP Anukriti Sharma, the accused did not limit themselves to the terminally ill. In several cases, perfectly healthy individuals were murdered, their deaths staged as accidents to claim high-value insurance. One particularly gruesome instance involved a man who conspired to murder his own brother by pushing him off an e-rickshaw and faking a road accident.
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The Web of Evidence: From Random Stop to Massive Racket
The unraveling began on a seemingly routine night in January 2024 when Sambhal police stopped a car at a highway check. The occupants — identified as Omkaresh Mishra and Amit — were found carrying ₹11.5 lakh in cash, 19 debit cards, and multiple mobile phones and bank documents, including Gujarat Bank passbooks. But the real shock came when the police examined their phones: over one lakh photographs of people — many terminally ill or holding placards declaring deaths of family members — surfaced, raising immediate red flags.
These images, coupled with suspicious chats about insurance policies, hinted at systematic fraud. As investigators began tracing the families of the deceased individuals shown in the photographs, a disturbing pattern emerged — insurance policies were taken without the nominee’s knowledge, money was redirected to third-party accounts, and in some cases, deaths had occurred after the policy was issued, indicating intentional targeting.
In one such case, a woman named Priyanka lost her husband to cancer. Though a ₹25 lakh policy had been issued in his name, she was unaware of any such coverage. The gang had manipulated her into signing cheques, changed her registered mobile number with the bank, and withdrew the funds without her knowledge.
Banking on the Poor: Fake Loans, Dead Bodies, and Complicit Officials
The investigation further revealed how the gang exploited poverty and ignorance. They secured vehicle loans in the names of poor villagers, and after orchestrating their deaths — or staging vehicle thefts — they claimed both loan waivers and insurance payoffs. Tractors and bikes from several such cases were seized from nearby districts like Amroha.
Another gruesome case emerged from Badaun. A physically disabled man was killed by his own friends, Hariom and Vinod, to claim ₹51 lakh in insurance from five policies taken in his name. The killers gave him alcohol, pushed him from a moving vehicle, hit him with a hammer, and then staged a road accident. A contract killer was paid ₹50,000 to ensure the body bore signs of a fatal crash.
The gang’s operations were disturbingly sophisticated. They were allegedly aided by ASHA workers and village pradhans who identified potential targets — often terminally ill or socio-economically vulnerable individuals. Bank officials are believed to have played a role in opening accounts without consent, while insurance agents processed claims without due diligence. Government employees are also now under the scanner.
A National Scandal with Deep Local Roots
What began as a traffic stop escalated into the exposure of one of the most horrifying financial and human crimes in recent times. The case underlines critical lapses in the banking, healthcare, and insurance systems and showcases the deadly nexus between crime syndicates and corrupt officials.
This insurance scam is not just a case of financial fraud — it is a stark reminder of how systemic loopholes, if left unchecked, can be exploited for murder-for-money schemes. As the investigation deepens, the nation watches closely, hoping for justice — not just for the victims of fraud, but also for those brutally murdered in the name of profit.