Insurance scam: Cong leader, 10 policemen arrested

Also in the dock are two doctors who provided fake post-mortem reports, drivers who made false statements, advocates, insurance claim processors and people who signed for false claims. In all, 70 have been arrested.

On a tip from a BJP worker in 2001, the Crime Branch found eight false claims, all near Mansa. Patel was had a role in all of them.

‘‘Patel’s modus operandi was simple. On learning of a death, he would rush to the family and offer condolence. Then he would suggest that, if family members wanted, they could seek his help in obtaining a bigger insurance claim by showing the death as a road mishap. Some may have agreed out of greed,’’ said a Crime Branch officer.

Patel would help family members file an FIR, procure false inquest and post-mortem reports, fill out insurance papers and through contacts with the claims processors, ensure the amount was disbursed. He would take 10 per cent.

Policemen were involved at the station-level — the five constables held had helped prepare fake inquest reports, cleared by inspectors. The DSPs held in the case, too, were inspectors when the scam took place. DSPs R.H. Sharma and D.K. Vankar and inspectors H.U. Jhala, H.B. Chavda and K.N. Makwana have been arrested.