Six people were arrested in Karnataka’s Hosapete on Friday for allegedly killing a disabled man and staging a motorbike accident in a bid to claim insurance payouts of up to Rs 5.25 crore from multiple policies taken in his name, the police said. According to officers, the victim, Gangadhar, 34, who hailed from Kaulpet in Hosapete, was murdered on Wednesday by a gang of six people, including a woman who posed as his wife. The accused were identified as Krishnappa, Ravi Gosangi, Ajeya, Riyaz, Yogaraj Singh, and Huligemma. The police also seized the car and motorcycle allegedly used in the crime. Investigators said the incident took place in Vijayanagar district’s Hosapete on Wednesday. After assaulting Gangadhar using blunt objects and ensuring his murder, the accused transported the body to a road near Jambunath village on the outskirts of Hosapete. The police said they rented a second-hand Bajaj Excel motorcycle, placed the body on it, and deliberately crashed their car into the bike to create the appearance of a fatal road accident, before fleeing. Officers, however, found the motorcycle's key inside a pouch on the two-wheeler, arousing suspicion. “If it was an accident, the bike's key would have been on the vehicle or it would have fallen nearby. Our suspicion arose when the key was found in the pouch,” said S Jahnavi, Superintendent of Police (SP), Vijayanagar. On investigating further, the police learnt that Gangadhar was ill and faced financial trouble. Though he was married, the accused falsely registered his marriage again with Huligemma at a sub-registrar office. They opened bank accounts in his name with fake nominees and secured six insurance policies, adding up to Rs 5.25 crore, from various firms, including an accident insurance, while regularly paying premiums. Mastermind works in a bank A police officer said that the mastermind behind the crime was Yogaraj Singh, an Axis Bank employee. His modus operandi involved identifying vulnerable individuals—the destitute, orphans, and those suffering from serious illnesses—and opening bank accounts in their names. He would then complete all required documentation himself, obtain life insurance policies based on these accounts, create fake nominees, and get all documents issued in the victims' names, the police said, adding that investigation is on in other similar cases that he is allegedly involved in. The murder was executed specifically to claim the payout of insurance policies for accidents, an officer said, adding that Gangadhar's wife had filed a complaint, which triggered the investigation.
