SSB deserter held for cheating insurance cos

A Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) deserter, who cheated insurance companies by claiming false motor insurances, was arrested by Delhi Police from Vasant Vihar on Thursday.

The accused, Devender Kumar Dabas, would use the online Motor Vehicle Theft (MVT) portal of the Delhi Police to lodge false vehicle theft complaints and later claim insurance of high-end luxury cars.

The accused had purchased several high-end cars and insured them for exorbitant sums, and then he would falsely report their theft. Apart from his black BMW 7 series, which he bought under his wife's name, Dabas also purchased a Volkswagen Passat, two Honda City cars and one Volkswagen Polo.

"He joined SSB as a Head Constable in Telecommunications. Since he was having various disciplinary issues, he deserted SSB. He then pursued a law degree from a college in Noida, on the basis of which he secured registration as an advocate in the Bar Council of Delhi. To maintain his cover, he also runs an NGO by the name of Sahyog Jyoti at Ashram, Delhi, where he is the general secretary," said a police official.

Police had received a tip-off about Dabas' arrival in Vasant Vihar to meet his associates. Upon identification, he was arrested by a police team.

Dabas had come up with the elaborate modus operandi after his Innova car was stolen in 2010. He managed to recover the insurance amount with the help of his insurance agent Santosh, and then decided to use the technique to commit more frauds.

"He started purchasing old cars at low prices and then obtained high valued insurance policies for these cars by luring stranded insurance agents, who were struggling to find customers," said DCP Ishwar Singh, South District. Police claimed that Dabas has filed nine false theft complaints in the last couple of years.