Fraudsters pose as govt officials to dupe A-I crash victim's kin, FIR filed

Posing as government officials and a Supreme Court lawyer, two individuals allegedly tried to dupe the family of an Air India crash victim into signing papers for compensation; an FIR has been filed

The family of Vardi Chand Menaria, a victim of the Air India flight AI171 crash, has filed a complaint against two individuals, who allegedly tried to deceive them by pretending to be government officials and a Supreme Court lawyer to help the family get compensation, The Indian Express reported. The flight, bound for London, had crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, killing 260 people.

 

According to the FIR, the accused claimed they could help the family get compensation worth ₹8 crore-₹10 crore if they agreed to sign some documents. The police have registered a case under Section 329(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for “criminal trespass”. This offence carries a punishment of up to three months in jail or a fine of ₹5,000.

 

 

Vardi Chand Menaria’s son, Deepak, said in his complaint that on the evening of July 17, he received a call from a man named Bhupendra. The caller introduced himself as a representative from the central government and said a “secret verification” would be conducted at their home by a team from Delhi and Mumbai. He asked Deepak to arrange a copy of his late father's passport and ticket, the news report said.

 

In a recorded audio clip of the call, the man can be heard asking Deepak to keep the matter confidential, warning that if relatives found out, they might start demanding money too.     

 

Duo visits house, pressures family to sign

 

The next day, on July 18 at around 7:45 pm, a man and a woman arrived at the Menaria home in Rundeda village in a car bearing a Gujarat registration number. They entered the house and spoke with Deepak’s mother, making confusing claims and eventually introducing themselves as representatives from the Supreme Court.

 

“When I returned home, they pressured us to sign and put thumb impressions on some documents related to a supposed case against Boeing in America,” Deepak said. He refused to sign without understanding the purpose. Eventually, the two left the house at around 8:40 pm, the news report said.     

 

FIR filed after legal authority's intervention

 

On July 19, the same individuals returned and parked their car a kilometre away from the family’s house. Sensing danger, Deepak called his neighbours and the Vallabh Nagar police station. The police arrived and took the two to the station.

 

However, Deepak claimed that the station house officer refused to register the FIR and asked him to collect it from the superintendent of police’s office as he had lodged a complaint there. It was only after Deepak approached the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) that the FIR was officially filed on July 29, the news report said.

 

The crash, one of the worst air disasters in India in decades, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed into a medical hostel complex in Ahmedabad’s Meghani Nagar area shortly after takeoff on June 12. Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, with only one survivor. The total death toll stood at 270, including casualties on the ground.