A major insurance fraud has been exposed at the Kharsaul branch of Punjab National Bank (PNB) in Rampur. A well-organized syndicate, including bank employees and agents, was allegedly involved in making fraudulent insurance claims by falsely showing deceased individuals as alive.
The scam involves the branch manager, a bank mitra, and several officials from the Moradabad divisional office of PNB. Reports indicate that they have collectively siphoned off crores of rupees by misusing government insurance schemes.
Whistleblower Exposes Fraud
Vikas Singh, a resident of Sambhal, filed a complaint with the Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Bareilly Zone. He alleges that this fraudulent network exploited multiple deceased account holders to obtain insurance payouts. Despite the complaint, authorities have yet to take strict action.
How the Scam Was Executed
The fraud was carried out systematically in multiple steps:
- Gathering Data of Deceased Account Holders: Bank mitras extracted personal details of deceased customers and manipulated their family members into providing documents.
- Issuing Fake Insurance Policies: The syndicate obtained insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) by falsely claiming the deceased were still alive.
- Filing Fraudulent Claims: A few months after securing insurance, they fabricated death certificates and submitted claims on the LIC portal.
- Manipulating OTP for Fund Transfer: Using the LIC portal’s user ID and password, bank employees authorized the claims. OTPs were shared with bank mitras for verification.
- Withdrawing and Splitting the Money: Once the insurance payout reached the nominee’s account, the fraudsters withdrew the funds via UPI and other channels, then divided the money among themselves.
Key Officials Involved
The involvement of several high-ranking officials and employees has surfaced:
- Nikhil Kumar (Branch Manager, PNB Kharsaul)
- Abhinav Kukreti (PNB Moradabad Divisional Office)
- Meenakshi Sethi (PNB Moradabad Divisional Office)
- Deepansh Saxena (PNB Moradabad Divisional Office)
- Manoj Agarwal (PNB Moradabad Divisional Office)
Bank Officials Ignored Complaint
According to the complainant, when he submitted documents to the Moradabad divisional office, officials dismissed his allegations. They allegedly threw away FIR-related papers and reportedly said, “We already know everything, we ourselves get this fraud done. Do whatever you can.”
Fraudulent Insurance Cases Identified
Several specific cases of fraud have been uncovered, including:
- Prempal (Account Number: 1119000100115918)
- Bhuri (Account Number: 111900100177973)
- Sukhdei (Account Number: 1119000100097665)
- Kantiya (Account Number: 1119000100105124)
One shocking case involves Prempal, a resident of Raipur village, who died in a road accident on January 23, 2022. Despite this, 11 months later, on December 16, 2022, the accused fraudulently insured him as a living person and withdrew a claim of ₹2 lakh.
No Action Despite Complaint
The victim filed a complaint on the CPGRAM portal in July 2024, but authorities have yet to take concrete steps. Although a case (0086/2024) has been registered at Thana Sefni against Nikhil Kumar and Abhinav Kukreti, strict action against the entire network remains pending.
The complainant has urged authorities to take immediate legal action against those responsible and recover the stolen money from the government treasury.
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