Police arrest man for defrauding insurance firm of Rs 34 lakh

Kochi: A man accused of defrauding Rs 34 lakh from a private insurance company was arrested by the police here on Thursday.

The suspect, identified as Varun Kumar Nair (36), a resident of Ochira in Kollam, was apprehended on charges of cheating Niva Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited, police said.

Varun had taken a personal accident insurance policy worth Rs 25 lakh. He underwent cashless treatment amounting to Rs 3,41,995 at Valiyath Institute of Medical Science Hospital in Kollam and he claimed an additional Rs 70 lakh for pre-and post-hospitalisation expenses. After verification of bills, he was paid Rs 34 lakh by the company, police said. The fraud was orchestrated using fake invoices procured through the PharmEasy online platform, they said.

Varun allegedly placed online orders for medicines using the cash-on-delivery option, cancelled the deliveries, and used the invoices to claim reimbursements from the insurance company, officials said. He then transferred the claim amount to a different bank account, police said.

The scam came to light during an internal investigation conducted by Niva Bupa Health Insurance Manager Abdullah and their partner, Optimus Medical Service, police added.

Varun, who had been absconding after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea, was tracked down and arrested by the Kochi city police. Following his arrest, he was presented in a local court, which remanded him to judicial custody, police confirmed. 

Source : The Print