Former SI to face trial for faking road accident to claim insurance

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government has granted permission to prosecute a former Sub-Inspector (SI) of the Thiruvananthapuram Traffic Police for fabricating a road accident case to fraudulently claim insurance money.

The accused, CR Sanal Kumar, allegedly turned a motorcycle skid into a hit-and-run accident. The Home Department granted permission to prosecute him based on a recommendation by State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar. Sanal Kumar is the fifth accused in the case. The incident took place on March 24, 2018. The fraud was allegedly planned in collusion with a man named Riyas.

Sanal Kumar fabricated a case claiming that a motorcycle bearing registration number KL-01 BC 9793 hit Riyas (33), who was walking along the Shangumugham-Airport Road, and sped away without stopping. He then allegedly obtained another person's outpatient (OP) ticket from the Medical College Hospital and submitted a fake treatment certificate to the insurance company bearing the forged signature of an assistant professor.

The fake document claimed that Riyas had suffered injuries and bruises to his palms and knees, as well as fractures to the finger bones of both hands. However, an investigation by the insurance company revealed that the accident was fabricated. The company subsequently lodged a complaint with the police.

SIT probing insurance fraud cases

• An investigation team headed by ADGP P Vijayan has been formed to crack down on a racket that allegedly stages fake road accidents to claim large amounts of insurance money.
• The racket reportedly turns incidents such as people falling off bicycles and coconuts falling on people's heads into fabricated road accident cases.
• There are 12 cases involving insurance fraud worth more than Rs 50 crore in the capital alone. Around 50 such cases have been registered across the State.
• Police officers, lawyers, middlemen, Motor Vehicles Department officials and doctors are among those accused in these cases.