Keonjhar: The crime branch wing of state police, in a move to detect fake insurance claims, on Thursday begun a probe into alleged fraudulent claims made by car owners in the district .

Officials of the crime branch on Thursday quizzed the personnel of a private insurance company, car owners and the officers from three police stations.

The investigation is on to crack down on at least five fraudulent claims reported in 2016. The allegation was taken up for investigation on the basis of a report by a private insurance company, said an official.

Five accident cases registered in 2016 are being investigated.

"All the accidents were related to tractors that allegedly overturned in five different spots. Incidentally, the driver involved in all these mishaps was the same," said a crime branch investigator.

"With one driver responsible for causing all these accidents, doubts were cast on the authenticity of the accidents. While three accidents were registered at Keonjhar town police station, the other two were recorded at Sadar and Baria police stations," he added.

"Though we are yet to come across prima facie, there are several incriminating clues that lead towards fraudulent accident claims. Preliminary investigation indicates that the five accidents never took place but was shown on record with an intention to obtaining illegal financial gains through a legalised and documented insurance process," the officer said.

The driver involved in the alleged fake accidents has been detained.

Besides, the five tractors owners who sought for accident claims are also being questioned.

There is every likelihood of policemen acting hand-in-glove with the fraudulent insurance claims as the then police officials of the concerned police stations certified it by registering the accident cases in the station diary.

The district police are rendering assistance to the crime branch team, said Sriharsha Mishra, sub-divisional police officer.

The Odisha director-general of police had earlier issued advisories to police superintendents asking them to adopt "zero tolerance" towards fraudulent insurance claim cases.