Constable Ankush Rawale used to buy vehicles on loans, complain theft and claim insurance
"There's nothing more thrilling than nailing an insurance company," is a famous line in John Grisham's bestselling novel Rainmaker.
If that's so, Ankush Rawale has been getting more than his fair share of thrill. Since 2011, he has been nailing not just insurance firms, but also banks and his own employer — the Mumbai police.
When the 34-year-old constable from the Local Arms unit (LA2) was finally arrested by the crime branch on Friday, the world came to learn about a new fraud.
Here's how it worked: Rawale, along with one of his friends, used to buy two-wheelers and four-wheelers on bank loans.
After a few months, Rawale would visit a police station and register a complaint that his vehicle has been stolen. With the FIR, he would go straight to the insurance company to claim compensation.
For those getting ideas, here's a caveat: don't even think about it, for you are no Rawale. There are certain tricks of the trade he knows and you may not.
For example, "he knew he had to surrender two sets of keys to the insurance company to claim insurance. Rawale also knew that modern-day car keys cannot be made by local key makers. Hence, within a few days of taking delivery of the vehicle, he would write to the car company, seeking a new set of keys stating that he has lost the original one," said an officer.
"He was smart enough to ensure all papers were in place. The most important was the FIR, which he could easily get as he himself was a policeman," said an official.
"Once he files a complaint and gets insurance, he will change the number plate of the vehicle and use it again," he said.
This way, Rawale has bought a Mahindra Scorpio, Maruti Swift, Tata Indica and a Mahindra Xylo. The police are still figuring how many vehicles he has bought and the total worth, at last count, was Rs 8 lakh.
"We figured out during investigation that Rawale has registered such complaints in Thane city, Thane rural, Satara and a few other police stations," said an officer.
What finally led Rawale in was when a fellow cop, seeing Rawale in a new vehicle yet again, got curious.
In no time, a team led by senior inspector Gopika Jahangirdar and his team comprising inspector Chindarkar and constable Sachin Khanvilakr arrested Rawale from the Ghopdev area of Byculla.
When the police recovered a two-wheeler with a fake number and two pan cards bearing Rawale's name, his luck came to an end.
The crime branch has booked Rawale for theft, cheating and forgery and the court sent him to police custody till January 12.
The police are now busy finding out whether there's a racket involved here.
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