Chandigarh police have charged Neha Shoree’s parents with fraud and cheating. Shoree was the Zonal Licensing Authority of the Food and Drug Administration, Punjab, and was shot dead at her Kharar workplace on March 29, 2019. Following a complaint from her spouse Varun Monga, who claims her parents falsified her signatures in order to obtain money from a life insurance policy, charges have been brought forward.
According to the police, two life insurance policies were purchased in Neha’s name on March 20, 2019, and issued on March 22, just days before her murder. The policies were proposed by her parents, Arun Shoree and Capt Kailash Kumar Shoree (retd). Varun Monga, a resident of Panchkula, claims the signatures on the customer declaration forms for these policies were forged by her parents. A forensic document expert confirmed the forgery, comparing the signatures on the forms with Neha’s genuine signatures.
The complaint reveals that Neha’s parents received the insurance payouts, totaling Rs 5.47 lakh per policy, shortly after her death. On April 16, 2019, claim applications were filed, and on May 17, 2019, payouts were made, implying possible collusion with insurance company staff , as the process seemed suspiciously fast according to Monga.
Sections 406 (pertaining to criminal breach of trust) 420 (relating to cheating) 467 (pertaining to forgery of valuable security) 468 (pertaining to forgery with intent to deceive) 471 (relating to using forged documents as genuine) and 120-B (pertaining to criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code are the implemented when the police registered the case at Sector 3 police station Chandigarh.
Neha Shoree’s murder was a tragic event. She was shot dead by Balwinder Singh, a chemist from Morinda, who then committed suicide. The police investigation revealed Singh held a grudge against Neha for suspending his drug license. Now, the allegations of forgery and fraud have added another layer of complexity and grief to the already tragic case.
This highlights the emotional and legal difficulties that usually occur after quarrels over family money especially after the death of a loved one. Chandigarh Police has undertaken all the necessary action to ensure justice is done.
