Pan masala dealer held in Rs 6.4 lakh insurance fraud case in Hyderabad

The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police arrested a pan masala dealer from Ghaziabad for allegedly duping a city resident of Rs 6.45 lakh in an insurance renewal scam. The accused, linked to similar cases nationwide, arranged mule accounts to route fraudulent funds

Hyderabad: A pan masala dealer from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh was arrested by the Hyderabad Cybercrime Police for his alleged involvement in an insurance fraud case. The arrested person, Sharad Garg (35), is reportedly involved in six similar offences across India, including one in Telangana.

A 37-year-old Hyderabad resident lodged a complaint alleging that he was cheated by a person posing as a chief head officer of an insurance company.

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The fraudster convinced the victim to renew his insurance policy and collected Rs 6,45,225 through multiple digital transfers under various pretexts such as policy renewal, medical co-pay, and tax charges.

When the promised refund of Rs 15.7 lakh did not materialise, the victim realised he had been duped and approached the Cybercrime Police. A case was registered, and Garg, a pan masala dealer, was arrested.

Police said Garg was recruited by other suspects, Munna and Sunil Kumar, who introduced him to an insurance fraud racket. According to officials, Garg arranged mule bank accounts in the names of Niraj Kumar Ojha and Deepak Kumar to receive fraudulent funds.

The money collected from victims was routed through these accounts and withdrawn via ATMs. Garg retained a 15 per cent commission before handing over the rest to his associates.

Senior Cybercrime officials said efforts are being made to trace other members of the network and urged citizens to remain cautious.

Police advised citizens not to respond to unsolicited insurance or banking calls and to verify all such communication directly through official customer care channels.

Citizens can report cybercrime to the National Cybercrime Helpline (1930) or file a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in.