Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (TP)

Udupi, Mar 14: Over 200 villages in Kadur Taluk have been severely impacted by an alleged financial fraud involving LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) intermediaries, leaving LIC policyholders and Anganwadi workers in distress, said Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag, president of the Human Rights Protection Foundation.

Speaking at a press conference held at Vaikunta Baliga Law College on Friday, March 14, Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag, said, “More than 57,000 policyholders under the Udupi division of LIC have been waiting for justice for the past nine years. The victims, primarily from rural areas, had entrusted LIC-appointed agents with their premium payments, only to discover that these intermediaries had misappropriated crores of rupees.”

Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag, further said, “The most affected are Anganwadi workers, who, acting on behalf of LIC, collected premium payments from policyholders and handed them over to the designated agents in exchange for official receipts. However, with the money illegally taken, these workers have been caught in the crossfire, facing relentless pressure from angry policyholders. Many of them have lost everything and are now driven to the brink of suicide.”

Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag, said, “Adding to the crisis, the absence of a chairperson in the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Cell for nearly a decade has resulted in a backlog of consumer complaints, leaving affected individuals waiting indefinitely for justice. Cases registered against LIC in this forum remain pending, leaving the victims in a helpless state, longing for relief.”

The affected policyholders and Anganwadi workers are now urging authorities to take immediate action to resolve the issue and bring the culprits to justice.