Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Mar 10: A former Indian Army jawan allegedly staged his own death on paper and fraudulently claimed insurance money with the help of his wife, prompting Delhi Police to register a case at Vasant Vihar police station.
According to the FIR, the accused, identified as Akhilesh Kumar, a former soldier of the Bihar Regiment, along with his wife Gyanti Devi, allegedly fabricated documents to falsely claim that Kumar had died and used those records to obtain money from the Army Group Insurance Fund.
Police said Kumar joined the Army in 1998 and retired in 2010. Investigators stated that he served for 12 years and eight months, which made him ineligible for a pension. After retirement, Kumar returned to his native village in Bihar.
According to the complaint, the couple then allegedly devised a plan to fraudulently obtain insurance benefits. In 2011, Gyanti Devi informed the Army that her husband had died of electrocution on September 17, 2011. To support the claim, the accused allegedly submitted forged documents, including a fake death certificate issued by a village panchayat, an affidavit and other supporting papers.
Based on these submissions, the Army Group Insurance Fund approved the claim in June 2013 and transferred Rs 3 lakh to the bank account of Kumar’s wife. Officials said the couple also received Rs 21,750 as interest due to delay in the payment.
The alleged fraud came to light during a police investigation in Jehanabad district of Bihar, where officials discovered that Akhilesh Kumar, who had been declared dead in official records, was actually alive.
Investigators said a villager reportedly noticed that Kumar had been listed as deceased in Army records and alerted authorities, following which the Army sought a police probe. The inquiry confirmed that Kumar was alive, triggering legal action.
Officials from the Army Group Insurance Fund later approached a court, which directed the registration of a case. Acting on the court’s order, Delhi Police registered a case against the former soldier and his wife at Vasant Vihar police station.
The case has been registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code.
Police said further investigation is underway to determine whether other individuals were involved in the conspiracy, including whether any local officials knowingly issued the alleged fake death certificate.