Moga: In a bizarre case that could rival a film script, a 19-year-old youth from Punjab has been forced to prove that he is alive after discovering forged documents declaring him dead. Vishal, a resident of Nava Purba village, stumbled upon his own death certificate issued by the Chief Registrar of Births & Deaths, Punjab, along with an affidavit filed by a woman claiming to be his wife and even a slip certifying the immersion of his ashes.
The fraud came to light when an insurance agent contacted the sarpanch of Kot Karor Kalan, Vishal’s former village, regarding an insurance claim. The sarpanch relayed the query to Vishal’s family, who immediately informed him. Shocked, Vishal began investigating and found that his documents had been misused for multiple insurance policies amounting to nearly ₹1.43 crore.
According to Vishal, a woman from his neighbourhood, Sanjana, had earlier promised to help him obtain a private bank loan and asked for his personal documents. He later discovered that his Aadhaar photo had been tampered with and his identity misused for fraudulent purposes.
Among the recovered documents were a fake death certificate issued by a Primary Health Centre in Daroli Kalan, an affidavit claiming he had died of heart failure, and a certificate of ashes immersion from a religious organisation in Tarn Taran.
Senior Superintendent of Police Bhupinder Singh confirmed that Vishal had filed a complaint. Preliminary investigation identified three accused — Sukhdev Singh, Sanjana (daughter of Boota Singh of Kunde village), and Sahil Khanna. An FIR is being prepared, and police said further investigations are underway to determine the involvement of others in the conspiracy.
For now, Vishal continues to move from office to office, determined to prove he is very much alive.
