Bareilly: Twelve people have been charged with fraud after relatives of a Bareilly man, who died in a road accident in Saudi Arabia in 2021, allegedly siphoned off his insurance compensation of Rs 56.25 lakh.The case was registered on a complaint by the victim’s father. Police said the accused included the deceased’s aunt, uncle, and cousin.Majid Raza Khan had been working as a car driver in Saudi Arabia since 2018. His father, Abid Raza Khan, said his son died in a road accident on Feb 2, 2021. “My nephew and his father told me a higher insurance claim could be secured as the other driver was at fault,” he said.Abid said he was persuaded to sign power of attorney documents in his nephew Atiq’s name. Atiq then collected Majid’s documents and pursued the compensation claim in a Saudi court. “He initially told me about 1 lakh Riyals that were received and promised to send the rest later,” Abid said.Subsequently, another 1.25 lakh Riyals were awarded compensation, taking the total compensation to 2.25 lakh Riyals (around Rs 56.25 lakh). However, the accused allegedly did not transfer the money to the victim’s father, who later learned through contacts that the full amount had already been disbursed.Police said the probe revealed that the money was transferred to multiple accounts linked to Atiq’s family members and associates. “When he demanded his share, he was allegedly threatened,” an officer said. Bareilly SSP Anurag Arya said, “An FIR under the BNS section of fraud has been registered against all 12 accused. Documents and bank transactions are being examined, and evidence is being sought from Saudi Arabia.”
