New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has arrested the prime accused in a Rs 30 crore insurance fraud involving bogus car accident claims, an official said on Sunday.

The accused, Dinesh Bansal, allegedly orchestrated a racket involving fake vehicle accident claims in collusion with former employees of Tata AIG General Insurance Company, surveyors licensed by IRDAI, and garage operators, police said in a statement.

The arrest follows a case registered in 2022 based on a complaint by Virender Pal Singh, Head of the Fraud Control Unit at Tata AIG.

“The company alleged that six garages across Delhi-NCR, in collusion with four former employees, three licensed surveyors, and some policyholders, submitted fake invoices for repairs that were never carried out, thereby defrauding the insurer of around Rs 30 crore,” a senior police officer said.

A detailed probe revealed several irregularities, including submission of multiple high-value claims for the same vehicle under different policyholders, use of identical images for different accident claims, mismatched versions of incidents provided by drivers and owners, and tampered vehicle registration details, he said.

“Bansal operated four workshops — three in the names of his wife and associate– and masterminded the submission of hundreds of fake insurance claims using manipulated documents and photographs,” a senior EOW officer said.

The accused allegedly staged two to three fake accidents per vehicle annually, primarily citing airbag damage. Each claim ranged from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh, and over 500 such claims were processed between February 2019 and August 2021, police added.

“To facilitate the fraud, Bansal roped in Tata AIG insiders, offering them kickbacks of around 15 per cent per claim. The laundered proceeds were routed through eight shell companies with the help of a chartered accountant, who reportedly charged a 10 per cent commission for his services,” the officer alleged.

Bansal was arrested from Samaypur Badli Industrial Area following technical surveillance.

Two former Tata AIG officials — Pradeep Rana, Chief Manager, and Deepak Sharma, an examiner — were earlier arrested on April 14 for allegedly aiding the fraudulent activities. Another accused, Raju Singh, has been in judicial custody since August 2024.

Bansal, a Class 10 pass-out and native of Haryana, had moved to Delhi 25 years ago. He initially ran a second-hand car business before launching workshops.

The case is being investigated under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation is underway. PTI SSJ RT RT