Punjab: Amid Rs 1.4 crore insurance scam, a youth tries to prove he is alive

Punjab: In an unprecedented series of events, 19-year-old Vishal from Nav Purba village was shocked when he received his own death certificate issued by the Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths of Punjab. This shock was compounded when he received a report from a religious organization in Tarn Taran confirming the immersion of his ashes, along with an affidavit from a woman declaring him dead. Since then, Vishal has been running from pillar to post trying to prove he’s alive. He has filed a police complaint, submitted copies of a fake death certificate, a fake wife’s affidavit, and a false insurance claim made in his name, making him feel like a “dead man walking.”
The matter first came to light when an insurance agent contacted the Sarpanch of Vishal’s former village, Kot Karor Kalan in Moga district, to confirm the insurance claim. The Sarpanch then asked Vishal’s uncle about his death, who then informed Vishal about it. Disturbed by this, Vishal learned that a fraudster, claiming to be his wife, had declared him dead and submitted insurance claim documents citing cardiac arrest as the cause. Vishal said, “I used to live in Kot Karor Kalan, but for the past six months I have been living in Nav Purba village.” He further explained that a woman from his neighborhood had promised to help him get a loan from a private bank at attractive interest rates. According to him, he provided all his documents and even accompanied her to a bank in the city for KYC verification. However, the loan was never received, he said. Vishal said, “I learned about the fraud when the Sarpanch called my uncle.”

He later obtained a death certificate issued by the Primary Health Center in Daroli Kalan, Moga, an immersion slip from Baba Kundan Singh Dham in Harike, and a self-declaration from a woman named Sanjana, who claimed to be his wife. He also discovered that the photo on his Aadhaar card had been tampered with. He said, “I also discovered that several insurance policies worth approximately ₹1.43 crore had been taken out in my name from HDFC Life Insurance Company, and premiums had also been paid.” He further stated that it appears the entire conspiracy was hatched to use his documents to embezzle the insurance money. When contacted, SSP Bhupinder Singh stated that the police received Vishal’s complaint and conducted a preliminary investigation. Three accused have been identified: Sukhdev Singh, Sanjana (daughter of Buta Singh of Kunde village), and Sahil Khanna. The SSP said the police are in the process of registering an FIR against them and further investigations will be conducted to determine if anyone else is involved.