US citizen faked his death using a cobra, a destitute and posed as witness to the death to claim insurance amount

New Delhi, October 26

In a case straight out of a crime fiction, a US citizen staged his own death using a cobra, killed a destitute and posed as witness in the case in order to claim a $5 million (Rs 37.5 crore) life insurance policy with a US-based insurance firm.

Prabhakar Bhimaji Waghchaure is a US citizen since last 20 years. The 54-year-old man used cobra as "murder weapon" accoridng to police to collect insurance amount.

According to police, Waghchure had been living in the US for 20 years and after returning to India in January, he started living at Rajur village in Ahmednagar district.

As per the case details, on April 22, officials at Rajur police station in Ahmednagar received a report from the local government hospital about Waghchaure’s death.

When a police constable went to the hospital, a man who identified himself as Waghchaure’s nephew, Praveen, identified the body. Another person, identified as Rajur resident Harshad Lahamge, too identified the body as that of Waghchaure.

After receiving the preliminary medical report, which stated that the cause of death was a snakebite, the body was handed over to the nephew for last rites to be performed.

However, skeletons tumbled out of the closet when the insurance firm investigating Waghchaure’s life insurance claim contacted Ahmednagar authorities seeking more information on his death.

The Ahmednagar police again visited Waghchaure’s house in Rajur. The police added it was then the neighbour said she had not heard of any snakebite incident but had seen an ambulance come to the house at the time of the alleged incident. When police contacted Lahamge, he claimed that Praveen had died of Covid.

The police not convinced with such stories, smelt a conspiracy and began probinng his call data records.
The CDRs revealed that not only was he alive, he had posed as Praveen at the hospital. Waghchaure was placed under detention.

SP Ahmednagar Manoj Patil stated that  insurance company started digging deep into the claim on Waghchaure’s death because he had fraudulently claimed the death of his wife for a life insurance claim in 2017 while his wife is stillalive. Waghchaure and other conspirators hatched an elaborate plan.

The police investigation revealed that they
procured a cobra from a snake rescuer. They found a destitute person, with similar looks as that of Waghchaure, and had killed him with the bite of the cobra. Waghchaure himself posed as his nephew Praveen and reported the snakebite death.

The deceased destitute was identified as Navnath Yashwant Aanap (50), who had been living in the same area.

The police investigation has revealed that days before they staged the death, Waghchaure started living at a new residence in the district. Two of his relatives — Sandeep Talekar and Prashant Chaudhary — found Aanap and Lahamge, who procured a cobra from a snake rescuer.

On April 22, the accused forcefully took Aanap to a secluded location where a snake handler identified as Harish Kulal induced the cobra to bite Aanap on the toe.

After he died, Aanap’s body was taken to Waghchaure’s residence, where an ambulance was called. Waghchaure poses as Praveen, identified the body in the hospital, and the last rites were performed with only the suspects in case in presence, police added.

Waghchaure has promised Rs 35 lakh to the other suspects. We are also contemplating action against the snake rescuer from whom the suspect procured the cobra.