Surat doctor duped of Rs 1.5 crore by conmen in insurance scam

Surat: A 66-year-old Surat-based doctor has allegedly been duped of Rs 1.5 crore by conmen posing as insurance and ombudsman officials, who promised to help him recover investments linked to his late father.

The alleged fraud began in 2018 and continued until March 2026, according to the complaint filed with Surat Cyber Crime police. The doctor, who runs a clinic in the city, was initially approached by people claiming to be associated with the insurance ombudsman. 

The accused allegedly told him that money linked to old mutual fund investments held by his father could be recovered after completing certain formalities. The callers subsequently persuaded him to purchase insurance policies by paying a one-time premium.

According to TOI, the doctor eventually received 12 policies from companies including HDFC Life, IndiaFirst Life and Bharti AXA. After issuing the policy documents, the accused allegedly began demanding additional payments under different pretexts.

The doctor initially did not make the extra payments and kept the policies aside. In 2023, he approached the insurance ombudsman over the matter but, according to his complaint, did not receive a response.

Soon afterwards, he allegedly received another call from a person claiming to be an officer from the ombudsman’s office. The caller assured him that the policy money could still be recovered if he cleared pending charges.

Over the next three years, the doctor was allegedly asked to make repeated payments towards purported premium dues, GST, RBI clearance certificates and other charges. Police said he transferred a total of Rs 1.5 crore to different bank accounts between 2023 and 2026, reports TOI.

The alleged callers continued demanding money even in March 2026, when the doctor was reportedly threatened with an Enforcement Directorate inquiry if he failed to make another payment.

It was then that the doctor realised he may have been defrauded and contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930.

Surat Cyber Crime police have now registered an FIR and begun examining the bank transactions, policy documents and communications associated with the case to identify those allegedly involved and trace the flow of funds.