A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Assam government has confirmed a case of “vehicle implant” fraud in a decade-old road accident claim, exposing what investigators described as a coordinated manipulation of police records to illegally extract insurance compensation from ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd.
According to findings placed before the court, a motorcycle insured with ICICI Lombard was fraudulently “implanted” into a 2015 accident in Bongaigaon, Assam, replacing the two-wheeler that was actually involved in a collision with a bicycle. The substitution was allegedly carried out to inflate and legitimise an insurance claim.
The case took a turn after ICICI Lombard flagged inconsistencies in the claim and initiated on-ground verification. A breakthrough came when the insurer obtained Police General Diary Entries through the Right to Information Act and cross-verified them with the First Information Report (FIR). The records showed a mismatch between the vehicle registration number mentioned in the initial diary entry and the number cited later in the FIR.
On the basis of this evidence, the insurer approached the Gauhati High Court, which took cognisance of the alleged fraud and referred the matter to the Assam SIT. The SIT was acting under directions issued earlier by the Supreme Court of India in a related insurance fraud matter.
Following a detailed probe, the SIT formally verified the fraud, concluding that the insured motorcycle had been deliberately inserted into the case to claim compensation by fraudulent means. Investigators said the discrepancies pointed to a “highly organised” effort to tamper with accident records.
“At ICICI Lombard, we are committed to uphold the highest standards of integrity in claims management. Every claim is assessed with diligence, objectivity, and transparency,” said Nazeem Khan – Head – Motor Claims, ICICI Lombard, adding that the company remains focused on honouring genuine claims while safeguarding the process against inaccuracies, thereby reinforcing trust among our customers and stakeholders.
