60+ insurance policies, ₹40 crore: UP man on claim spree in police net for deaths of father, mother, wife
Vishal Kumar, 35, was the nominee in 60 accident insurance policies in the name of his father who died last year reportedly in an accident
A man from Meerut and his friend have been arrested after an insurance agent sensed something amiss when he claimed a policy after the death of his father recently. What has since unraveled has gone much beyond one death and one policy, and reeks of murder, police say.
Vishal Kumar, 35, was the nominee in 60 accident insurance policies with multiple companies in the name of his father Mukesh Singhal, who died last year reportedly in an accident at the age of 55.
The combined worth of these policies is ₹39 crore, and all these were taken in the two years before the father's death.
By the time he was arrested on Monday, September 29, Vishal had received around ₹1 crore in claims from some insurance companies, officials said.
But police was on his tail and now suspect that Vishal not only orchestrated the death of his father, but also of mother and wife, staging them as accidents to secure insurance funds.
The investigation was initiated on a complaint by Sanjay Kumar, representative of an insurance company, at the Hapur Nagar police station.
His father Mukesh was a photographer and lived in Meerut’s Ganganagar, but originally was from Hapur. His declared annual income was ₹12–15 lakh, but the total insurance claims amounted to approximately ₹39 crore.
Son Vishal claimed Mukesh died in a road accident when returning to Meerut from Garhmukteshwar on March 27, 2024. He had said his father was initially admitted to a nearby hospital, and later shifted to Meerut where he died.
But hospital records showed the accident occurred at night, contradicting Vishal’s daytime account, and the injuries he described did not match the postmortem report, suggesting possible foul play, officials told HT.
When he filed for the claim, he allegedly failed to cooperate with the company’s investigation, withholding key documents. Complainant Sanjay also accused him of attempting to bribe an investigating officer and bribing witnesses to provide favourable statements.
Discrepancies were also found in Vishal’s Aadhaar and PAN details regarding his age, and no details were provided about the vehicle allegedly involved in the accident or its registration.
When the insurance agent called the cops, the probe went further into his past.
Police said Vishal’s mother, Prabha Devi, died in an alleged road accident in Hapur’s Pilkhuwa while riding pillion on a motorcycle with him on June 21, 2017. She was admitted to the nearby Saraswati Medical College, where she passed away. After her death, Vishal reportedly received ₹80 lakh in insurance claims.
Similarly, Vishal’s wife’s death a few years ago resulted in a ₹30 lakh insurance payout. That was also reported as an accident
Along with Vishal, his friend Satish Kumar was also arrested from Modinagar in Meerut in connection with the alleged fraud.
Police were still probing how the premium for som many policies was being paid.
Confirming the arrests, additional superintendent of police Vineet Bhatnagar said, “The police suspect that Vishal may have been involved in the murders of his family members to fraudulently obtain insurance payouts.”
