Seven years after her husband’s tragic death in a road accident, 45-year-old Vangapalli Ballavva from Vattimalla village of Sircilla district is still fighting for the ₹20 lakh compensation that could help raise her three daughters and keep the household afloat. The reason for the long delay was a fake insurance policy submitted for the vehicle involved in the accident.
Her husband, Vangapalli Anjaiah, a 50-year-old agricultural labourer, died on July 25, 2018, when a speeding goods carrier transporting cement rammed into his two-wheeler near Bavusaipet village. Within half an hour, Ballavva received a call from a villager and rushed to the spot, only to find her husband lying in a pool of blood. He succumbed to polytrauma and a severe head injury while being taken to hospital.
Although the driver, Sulthan Rajaiah, surrendered and a case was registered, Ballavva’s family was recently informed by Reliance General Insurance that the insurance document submitted for the goods carrier was not issued by it and was fake.
In 2023, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Sircilla issued a notice to the insurer. On verifying the policy number ‘108230687’, it was found to be forged, prompting Reliance to file a counter First Information Report at the Konaraopet police station in Rajanna Sircilla on April 26, 2025.
Investigations have now revealed that the goods carrier was sold multiple times through a murky, informal model known as “continuous finance,” where vehicles are rotated among users without officially transferring ownership. The original owner, Prabhakar, has been booked, and police say the key suspect is a vehicle financier who allegedly enabled the sale of the vehicle four times using fake insurance paperwork.
“This model shields real users and victimises the registered owner, who may have no idea what is happening with the vehicle or whether valid insurance exists, making the investigation challenging,” said the complainant. This is even worse in hit and run cases and late night accident on highway where no witness or CCTV cameras are available, he said.
As fraudulent insurance cases continue to deepen in Telangana districts, this marked the first instance of fake vehicle insurance linked to informal financing in Rajanna Sircilla district, amid growing reports of such scams in Telangana’s rural areas.
For Ballavva, who still lives with uncertainty and mounting responsibilities, compensation remains elusive.
Published – June 19, 2025 01:14 pm IST
