THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has set up a multi-department special investigation team (SIT) to crack down on a suspected network involved in filing fraudulent motor accident compensation claims across the state.
Headed by the ADGP (Law and Order), the SIT will coordinate the detection, inquiry, investigation and monitoring of suspicious claims. The team includes the IG (Cyber Operations), joint transport commissioner, deputy labour commissioner and joint director of medical education.
The move follows a series of directions issued by the Supreme Court to states and insurance companies to identify and act against fraudulent accident compensation claims filed under the Motor Vehicles Act and Employees Compensation Act.
While hearing the Safiq Ahamad vs ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co Ltd case, the SC took note of indications that organised syndicates could be behind such claims.
“What began as scrutiny of individual claims pointed to a pattern, including alleged ‘implantation’ of vehicles in accident cases and repeated use of identical vehicles to file multiple claims,” said a home department official.
In a circular in September, the state police chief directed district police chiefs and city police commissioners to transfer case diaries and preliminary inquiry reports of active, complex and interstate insurance fraud cases to the SIT database. Nodal officers of ICICI Lombard, Bajaj Allianz and Oriental Insurance have also been asked to lodge complaints directly with the SIT. The police have fixed timelines for registering FIRs on complaints.