NASHIK: A 54-year-old chef based in Washington DC killed a mentally-challenged man using a poisonous snake and tried to pass it off as his own death in a bid to claim USD 5 million in insurance from a US-based private insurer. However, an inquiry conducted with the help of the Ahmednagar police helped call his bluff.
Police said that four years ago, the chef, Prabhakar Waghchaure, had faked a death certificate for his wife and tried to claim insurance amount of a policy in her name. The insurer had found the documents fake and had rejected the claim.
Waghchaure, along with four associates, killed the mentally-challenged man, Navnath Anap (50), using the snake at a desolate place near Rajur village in Akole taluka of Ahmednagar district on April 22 this year.
Police have arrested the five men under sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. They were produced in a local court on Monday, which remanded them in police custody till October 29.
Ahmednagar superintendent of police Manoj Patil told TOI that Wagchaure, a wealthy man, resorted to the crime in his greed for more money. "Our team will be questioning him to find out if he has committed any other fraud," he said.
