Maharashtra: Accident claim exposes vehicle insurance fraud in Thane

Representative Image. Pic/iStock

An accident claim involving a four-wheeler has exposed a vehicle insurance policy racket in Maharashtra's Thane district, PTI reported on Saturday.

Two persons who identified themselves as employees of a reputed insurance firm would approach car owners offering them policies at much lower rates than what most companies charge, Police said.

However, the duo would buy two-wheeler insurance policies online by keying in the car's registration number and entering fake data in the space given for other details, the official said.

They would forge the final document to make it look like an insurance policy for a four-wheeler, he said.

The conmen took advantage of the vast difference between the premium amounts for four-wheelers and two-wheeler to offer what they claimed were "cheap" policies. So far, police have come across 277 such fake policies, he said.

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The fraud came to light after the insurance company scrutinised an insurance policy in connection with an accident claim and found it to be bogus.

Following a complaint, the Thane city police recently registered a case against unidentified persons for cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and under the Information Technology Act, the official said.

"By paying lesser premiums, the fraudsters not only cheated the insurance company but also the government exchequer," said the official, adding that no arrests have been made yet. (PTI)