SIDDIPET: Cheryal police have registered cheating cases against two persons for issuing bogus death certificates to claim insurance money. A preliminary inquiry has confirmed that 22 such certificates were issued.
According to police, Bukya Madhu, a former village secretary of Rampur in the erstwhile Warangal district, colluded with S Ramesh, who runs an internet centre in Hyderabad, to generate fraudulent death certificates.
Police said Ramesh, who helped people apply for various certificates at his centre, devised the plan and befriended Madhu.
He reportedly used the friendship to obtain the digital signature linked to the panchayat office. The duo used it to apply online for death certificates, which were subsequently issued through the tahsildar office and used to claim insurance.
Insurance firm blew the whistle
The fraud came to light after an insurance company grew suspicious over 22 death certificates being issued from a single panchayat and alerted the district collector. A subsequent inquiry confirmed the issuance of 22 bogus certificates.
The Rampur village administrative officer lodged a complaint with Cheryal police on Monday. Sub-Inspector G Apurva said a case had been registered against Madhu and Ramesh and an investigation was under way.
Preliminary information suggests that the certificates were issued in the names of the accused’s relatives, police said. Further details are expected after Ramesh is taken into custody.