• A man kills another and fakes his own death in a car fire
• His goal was to get 10 million rupees (about 120,000 USD) from life insurance

The police in the Indian state of Maharashtra uncovered a case of calculated murder and deception, after it emerged that a man believed to have died in a car fire was, in fact, alive.

Ganesh Gopinath Chavan killed another person to fake his death so that his wife, as the beneficiary of his life insurance policy, could claim 10 million rupees (about 120,000 USD).

On Sunday morning, Ausa police in Latur district were notified of a car burning on a deserted road in the Vanavada Pati–Vanavada area. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and found a charred body inside, initially reported as an accidental death.

The car was traced to its owner, 35-year-old local bank recovery agent Chavan. When police tried to contact him, his wife said he had left the previous night to deliver a laptop to a friend and had not returned. With some of his personal belongings, including a bracelet, found at the scene, investigators assumed the burned body was his and informed his family.

Deeper investigation revealed inconsistencies. Digital checks showed Chavan had messaged his girlfriend after the fire from a different phone number, raising police suspicions about his supposed death.

The alternate number was traced from Kolhapur to Vijaydurg in Sindhudurg district, where Chavan was found alive and arrested on Monday.

Police said Chavan confessed to the plot. He had a life insurance policy worth 10 million rupees (about 120,000 USD) and was heavily in debt, around 5.7 million rupees (about 68,500 USD), from a home loan and other financial obligations.

To carry out his plan, Chavan offered a ride to a drunken man named Govind Kishan Yadav (50). After stopping for food, the victim fell asleep in the car. Chavan then dragged him into the driver’s seat, fastened the seatbelt, and set the interior on fire using matches and plastic bags.

To mislead police and his family into believing the body was his, Chavan placed his bracelet near the burned corpse. However, texts sent to his girlfriend exposed the deception.

Inspector General Amol Tambe confirmed a murder case has been registered, and investigations continue to determine whether Chavan acted alone or with accomplices.

Authorities have not yet revealed the victim’s identity, as the body was severely burned, requiring specialized forensic examinations.