New Delhi: Delhi Police‘s crime branch has launched an investigation into a large-scale insurance scam in which customers were issued policies for their three-wheeler and four-wheeler vehicles, but the premiums paid to the insurance company corresponded only to those of two-wheelers. The crooks exploited the insurance company’s e-motor portal and other online facilities. The scam came to light when the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) began sending claims notices to the firm. It was revealed that over 5,000 vehicles in Delhi alone were issued such fraudulent policies, all of which have now been cancelled.The company’s authorised representative told police that the scammers manipulated customer data, vehicle classifications, and contact details to issue fabricated policies. The accused persons collectively obtained policies for customers located in Delhi and various other states of India, using various online portals, including the company’s own direct selling website, to issue fake policies.“They misrepresented vehicle categories, issuing two-wheeler policies against three-wheeler (passenger) and four-wheeler goods carriers, commercial vehicles, motor or maxi cabs by mentioning wrong email addresses and phone numbers of the customers. Additionally, they provided fake, forged policy documents to some customers by changing the category of two-wheelers to that of other vehicles. In many cases, the fraudsters tampered with policy documents, including make, model, premium amount, and policy codes.The company discovered severe discrepancies while handling third-party claims filed in MACT courts across various states. An internal investigation revealed that of the 80,014 fake policies, including 5,613 vehicles registered in Delhi alone issued between 2022 and 2023, only 14 had valid customer contact details. The company officials visited 14 people residing in different locations and inquired about their respective vehicle insurance policies.“After verifying the copies of insurance policies obtained from the insured persons during the visits and scrutinising the records maintained regarding their respective vehicle insurance policies in the company’s system, it was found that the copies of policies possessed by the insured were fabricated,” the complainant stated.The accused intentionally provided incorrect email IDs and contact numbers of the customers, and these numbers are suspected to belong to the accused themselves.“Further investigation revealed that out of these fraudulent policies, 74% were purchased through transactions via UPI, net banking, credit cards, etc., credited into the company’s account by the accused persons,” the complainant added. On the direction of the court, a case was registered with the crime branch of Delhi Police.The insurance company claimed significant financial losses due to this scam.
