Fake insurance racket busted, one arrested

Indore police's crime branch today arrested a Delhi-based man who, alongwith his associates, is suspected to have duped insurance policy-holders across the country.
Additional Superintendent Police Dilip Soni said that Sunil Sirpurker, a local resident, had filed a complaint in this regard.
According to Sirpurker, he received a call from a person who claimed to be an officer of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority. The caller knew the details of Sirpurker's insurance policy, and told him that he was due to receive a bonus of Rs 2.5 lakh, but he would have to take out a new policy of Rs 60,000 to avail of it.

Sirpurker believed the caller and sent a cheque to the address of an NGO which the caller had provided. He received several such calls, each time from a different 'officer' of IRDA.
In all, he sent Rs 6.84 lakh by cheques to the fake addresses provided by the callers, he told police.
When he realised that the policies which were sent to him in return were fake and he was being taken for a ride, he approached the police.

Police zeroed in on Mahendra Gupta (35), resident of Laxmi Nagar in Delhi. Probe revealed that Gupta ran an NGO called 'Yours Family Association' and deposited the cheques sent by gullible policy holders in its account.

Police suspect that at least six to eight other persons were involved in the racket.
Gupta earned Rs 70 lakh through this account, police said, adding that further investigation is on.