Rs 100 cr insurance fraud in Sambhal: Assets worth Rs 12 cr of 3 key accused attached

MEERUT: Following prosecution and filing of chargesheets against 25 members of a notorious gang involved in insurance frauds to the tune of Rs 100 crore, Sambhal police have initiated protocols to attach Rs 12 crore assets belonging to three main accused under the Gangster Act.Investigation into the financial records of three key accused and heads of the gang revealed vast amounts of wealth accumulated through criminal activities. Authorities found that accused Sachin Sharma had amassed over Rs 9 crore, while his accomplices Gaurav Sharma and Omkareshwar Mishra held illegal assets worth several crores.In a ruling on Jan 7, 2026, Sambhal district magistrate ordered the immediate attachment of these properties.This gang operated across 12 states, targeting unsuspecting individuals by securing insurance policies in their names and later fraudulently siphoning off the claim payouts."We registered over 25 FIRs and booked and arrested 70 accused since the investigation began in January last year. Chargesheets under the Gangster Act were filed against 25 accused. At present, properties belonging to three key accused — Sachin Sharma, Gaurav Sharma and Omkareshwar Mishra — having a cumulative value of Rs 11.87 crore were attached," said Sambhal additional SP and lead investigator in the case Anukriti Sharma.TOI on Feb 8, 2025, reported the fraud (Insuring the dying & the dead -- Multi-crore scam running for 7 years), followed by a series of stories on the massive racket involving over Rs 100 crore, prompting the Enforcement Directorate to take up the case in May.These property attachment procedures are currently being executed across several districts, including Sambhal, Budaun, Varanasi and Gautam Buddha Nagar, with receivers already appointed to manage the seized holdings.Additional SP Sharma said, "Since we busted the racket in January last year, we uncovered multiple modus operandi employed in the scam. These ranged from purchasing insurance policies in the names of unsuspecting people suffering from terminal illness to taking out policies on already deceased individuals by fraudulently obtaining fake death certificates, and siphoning off policy payouts through unethical means."She said, "In several cases, we also found murders being passed off as accidents, with the victims covered under hefty insurance policies, and the claim amount taken out shortly after their deaths. Investigation revealed the involvement of bank employees, hospital staff, ASHA workers and others who colluded with the gang. We also identified individuals engaged in tampering with Aadhaar details to fraudulently avail benefits under govt schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana."It all began on Jan 17 last year when UP police intercepted an SUV in Rajpura area of Sambhal. Two men, including Omkareshwar Mishra, could not explain the source of lakhs of rupees, 19 debit cards, identity cards, etc found in the vehicle.