JHANSI, March 20 -- Three people have been arrested in Jhansi after police exposed a major fraud involving crop insurance claims using forged land documents. Police said the scam could be worth crores of rupees. The matter surfaced after a complaint filed in December 2025 by Jhansi-Lalitpur MP Anurag Sharma, who alleged that compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana had been fraudulently claimed using his land details. An inquiry by the deputy director of agriculture confirmed the allegations. Subsequently, two separate FIRs were registered at Premnagar and Garautha police stations. Initially, several farmers listed in the compensa- tion records came under suspicion. However, further investigation revealed that many of them were actually victims, allegedly tricked by the accused into sharing their documents. Additional superintendent of police Areeba Nomaan said that three people-Paras Nayak (26), Bhupendra Singh Rajpoot (29) and Ritik Tiwari alias Ranu (21)-all residents of Jalaun district have been arrested in connection with the case. According to police, Paras Nayak and Ritik Tiwari were associated with IFFCO Tokio General Insurance Company which had insured the farmers under the 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna'. The accused worked as a block coordinator and surveyor, respectively. They allegedly targeted farmers, collected their Aadhaar and land record details and later manipulated ownership information to create forged documents. These fake records were then uploaded to the insurance portal to claim compensation. Bhupendra Singh, who runs a cybercafe is accused of assisting in preparing and uploading the forged documents. Investigators found that Ritik alone fraudulently claimed Rs.1.64 lakh for the Rabi 2024-25 season using fake records, while Paras and Bhupendra are suspected to have embezzled around Rs.10 lakh collectively. The accused allegedly shared a small portion of the proceeds with the victims while retaining the majority. The ASP stated that the trio appears to be part of a larger network. "We suspect the involvement of a bigger gang and a mastermind behind the operation. Efforts are underway to trace other accused. The scam may extend across multiple districts of Bundelkhand and possibly beyond," she said. Police have intensified the investigation to uncover the full extent of the fraud and identify other members involved. htc...