(Image source from: How an NRI businessman faked his own death to scoop a whopping insurance?})

It's seriously disconcerting to see how low one can stoop to make quick bucks in life!

An NRI businessman of Indian origin is being held for faking his own death and swindle £1.1m insurance payout.

The 45-year-old Sanjay Kumar is accused of faking his death by claiming to have died of 'brain fever' in a desperate stand to pay off his escalating debts.

This Delhi based businessman reportedly handed a fake death certificate and a receipt confirming his cremation at an imaginary crematorium to con the insurance office.

A British citizen with dual nationality, Kumar flew down to Delhi on November, 2011 on a business trip. Later, he emailed his wife Anju (46), informing her that he had fallen critically ill and is admitted in a hospital.

On 26 November, Mrs Kumar received a message informing that her husband had died of brain fever and has been cremated.

She then tried to claim a £250,000 policy from Scottish Provident and a term assurance policy with Aviva worth £450,000.

A second term assurance policy was also claimed with Aviva valued at £450,000 and finally a Legal and General assurance pension death claim policy to the value of £5,789.38.

The couple tried to get £1,155,789.38 but were only paid £10,615.49 by the time of their arrest.

Southwark Crown Court Aviva heard Scottish Provident grew suspicious over the alleged death and started a probe. Detectives soon found that Mrs Kumar had wired £1,522 to her husband via Western Union - two days after his “death”.

The City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) later found out that Sanjay, a director of nine companies , was in deep debts and was being threatened by his creditors. The couple had also re-mortgaged their home in Watford, Hertfordshire, twice, leaving ‘little or no equity’ in it.

Realizing that his fraud had misfired, Kumar flew back to the UK under false identity to reunite with his family, but was detained by the cops. Sanjay was jailed for 30 months and his wife was given a suspended prison sentence.

Investigators revealed that Mr Kumar had been in hospital for one day for a minor illness. He had nothing more serious than diarrhoea and a viral infection.

Mrs Kumar, who is now separated from her husband, denied being a part of the life insurance fraud, despite Kumar caustically accusing his wife to masterminding the act.

Sentencing the couple, Judge David Higgins branded them as ‘thieves’ and said the fraud was ‘sustained, relatively sophisticated and very serious. If you stoop to crime in this way, then you must accept the consequences, and the courts have long made clear they are likely to be severe. Your behaviour was quite routinely deplorable and deeply anti-social.'

Mr Kumar has been jailed for two-and-a-half years while Mrs Kumar received a five month jail term, suspended for two years and a five month tagged curfew.

AW: Suchorita Chowdary