EOW Arrests LIC Agent Who Insured Lives Of Ghosts In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch has arrested an LIC agent for allegedly making the death claims from the policies issued in the names of dead persons.

The EOW arrested the agent, Kabiraj Behera of Jhadakata under Kanas police limits in Puri district on Wednesday and produce him in the court on Thursday. The EOW made the arrest after investigating a case registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the authorised officer of LIC’s Khurda branch.

The complaint stated that Behera had cheated the LIC to the tune of Rs 1.18 crore by submitting false death claims in conspiracy with nominees of deceased persons.

The EOW investigation revealed that Behera, who has been working as LIC agent since 2003, had fraudulently managed to get 23 policies in the names of four dead persons, falsely showing them as alive, during 2013 to 2019.

After about 3 to 5 years of taking those policies, he contrived to manufacture fake death certificates in the names of insured persons. By using those fake death
certificates as genuine, Behera applied for death claims in favour of the nominees in the LIC branch office in Khurda and attempted to avail the financial benefits/death
claims against those 23 policies.

It has been ascertained that the insurance policies were taken subsequent to the actual death of insured persons but the premium was being paid regularly. In all the policies,  the sum assured was deliberately kept less than Rs 10 lakhs as it comes under the financial power to settle the death benefits by the branch manager, without referring to the divisional office.

It has been ascertained that the total amount of claims raised by the nominees of 23 policies through the present accused was more than Rs 1.81 crores and against five policies, the LIC has released payments, according to a release of the EOW.