Daijiworld Media Network - Punjab

Punjab, Oct 2: In a story straight out of a Bollywood thriller, 19-year-old Vishal from Nava Purba village was shocked to discover that official documents declared him dead. The Chief Registrar of Births & Deaths, Punjab, had issued his death certificate, while a religious organisation in Tarn Taran certified the immersion of his ashes. Adding to the confusion, an affidavit from a woman claiming to be his wife declared him deceased.

Since then, Vishal has been on a relentless mission to prove he is alive. He has filed police complaints and submitted copies of the forged death certificate, the imposter wife’s affidavit, and documents related to a false insurance claim made in his name, totaling Rs 1.43 crore.

The conspiracy came to light when an insurance agent contacted the sarpanch of Vishal’s previous village, Kot Karor Kalan in Moga, to verify a claim. The sarpanch then informed Vishal’s uncle, who in turn alerted Vishal. Investigations revealed that an imposter, posing as his wife, had declared him dead and submitted documents for an insurance claim, citing heart failure as the cause.

Vishal explained, “I used to live in Kot Karor Kalan, but for the last six months, I’ve been staying at Nava Purba village. A woman from my neighbourhood promised to help me secure a bank loan. I provided all my documents and even accompanied her for KYC verification, but the loan never materialised. It was only when the sarpanch called my uncle that I learned about the fraud.”

He later obtained copies of the death certificate from the Primary Health Centre in Daroli Kalan, an ashes immersion slip from Baba Kundan Singh Dham in Harike, and a self-declaration affidavit from the woman, identified as Sanjana, claiming to be his wife. Vishal also discovered that his Aadhaar photo had been tampered with.

The fraudulent activities included taking out multiple insurance policies under his name with HDFC Life Insurance Company, with premiums paid, indicating a calculated attempt to claim insurance money using Vishal’s identity.

SSP Bhupinder Singh confirmed that the police had received Vishal’s complaint and conducted a preliminary investigation. The names of three accused have emerged: Sukhdev Singh, Sanjana (daughter of Boota Singh from Kunde village), and Sahil Khanna. An FIR is being filed, and investigations are ongoing to determine if others were involved in the scheme.

Vishal continues his fight to reclaim his identity and expose the Rs 1.4-crore insurance fraud that left him feeling like a “dead man walking.”