Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Jan 11: The CB-CID has arrested an advocate from Kancheepuram for allegedly orchestrating a large-scale motor accident insurance scam by using impersonators and forged documents to fraudulently claim compensation, police said.

The accused has been identified as Padmanabhan, who was arrested following a detailed investigation by the Madras High Court’s Anti-Corruption Wing. According to investigators, he had been running the racket for nearly four years in collusion with a few government hospital staff and personnel attached to the police traffic investigation wing.

Police said the modus operandi involved fabricating documents related to road accident cases and deploying impersonators to pose as accident victims or their legal heirs during court proceedings and Lok Adalat hearings. Through this method, the accused allegedly managed to settle cases and siphon off compensation amounts from insurance companies.

The scam came to light after the Madras High Court received multiple complaints regarding manipulated accident compensation claims. Subsequently, based on a complaint filed by the Principal Administrative Officer of the District Principal Sessions Court, the case was transferred to the CB-CID in 2022 for a detailed probe.

While the confirmed loss to insurance companies is currently estimated at over Rs 12 lakh, officials said the total amount involved could run into several crores once all fraudulent claims are uncovered.

Following his arrest on Friday, Padmanabhan was shifted to a government hospital after he complained of health issues. Further investigations are underway to identify other beneficiaries, middlemen and officials allegedly involved in the scam, police added.