Man who killed beggar to fake own death for insurance money arrested 17 years later

Seventeen years after faking his own death by killing a beggar, claiming insurance money worth Rs 90 lakh, and assuming a completely new identity in Ahmedabad, the luck of a 39-year-old man ran out when one of his acquaintances, in a drunken state, revealed his story to someone who then tipped off the police.

The Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) apprehended Anil Singh Chaudhary from the Nikol area, where he had been residing as Rajkumar Chaudhary. He originally hails from Bhatta-Parsaul village in the Gautam Buddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. DCB officials stated that in 2004, Anil and his father, Vijaypal Singh Chaudhary, conspired to claim accidental death insurance by faking Anil's death.

Police said that Anil's father had purchased a life insurance policy of Rs 80 lakh and a car insurance policy of Rs 10 lakh in Anil's name. As part of their plan, Anil, his father, his brother, and two friends enticed a beggar whom they had frequently seen on trains to a hotel near Agra. They served him food laced with sedatives.

During questioning, Chaudhary revealed that he placed the unconscious beggar in the car and intentionally crashed it into an electricity pole to make it appear as an accident. They then made the beggar sit in the driver's seat and set the car on fire to make it seem like a genuine accident. No one suspected any foul play.

DCB officials noted that on July 31, 2006, the Rakabganj police station in Agra registered an accidental death case, reporting that a car driver identified as Anil Singh Chaudhary had died from burn injuries when his vehicle caught fire in an accident. This report had been filed by his father, Vijaypal Singh Chaudhary.

After successfully claiming the insurance money, Anil Singh Chaudhary moved to Ahmedabad, assuming a new identity under the name Rajkumar Chaudhary. He got married to a woman from his neighbourhood, with whom he has a daughter and a son.

Initially, he purchased an auto-rickshaw and later acquired a car on loan to make a living. The police recovered documents such as a driving license and Aadhar card, issued in the name of his new identity. Anil never returned to his native place and kept his distance from his relatives. He did not contact any of his family members but occasionally met one of his nephews in Ahmedabad or some relatives in Surat.

Though the police have not disclosed the source of the information, Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCB, Chaitanya Mandalik, told DH, "We received a tip-off from an individual who learned of the story from someone recounting it under the influence of alcohol. The crime was committed to claim the insurance money of Rs 90 lakh."

Another official mentioned that five people were involved in the crime or were aware of it. Besides Anil and his father, Vijay, his brother Abhay, and two friends, Mahipal Gadariya and Rakesh Khatik, were also implicated. After faking the death, they divided the money among themselves.