Kathmandu. It was the midnight of 2014. The road near Sanand, in the Indian state of Gujarat, witnessed a heart-wrenching tragedy. A speeding jeep lost control and overturned. Businessman Amrit Sorathiya died on the spot.
Listening to the statement of Sorathia’s business partner Vipin Patel, who survived the accident, it was a simple accident. Suddenly, while trying to save a stray dog that was crossing the road, the car skidded and overturned. The police filed a case of rash and negligent driving. However, two years later (in 2016), he was acquitted by the court. Everyone who was interested in the case felt it. This chapter ended here. But under the ashes of the tragic scene, greed was sown.
Millions of claims and deep doubts{
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Shortly after Bipin’s acquittal, Sorathiya’s family filed a petition with the insurance company seeking a compensation of over Rs 25 crore. The officials of the legal department of the insurance company were surprised to see this huge amount and the details of the claim. Their foreheads shrank. Amrit Sorathia was claimed to be a passenger. However, the initial police report, the report of the incident and the statements of the witnesses were not consistent.
The insurance company did not give up, deeply suspecting that this was a false claim. In 2018, the company approached the Gujarat High Court, claiming that all the details of the accident were fabricated. The high court accepted this unusual demand and ordered the formation of a special investigation team to find out the truth of the case.
Now a minor accident had become one of the country’s most complex criminal investigations.
False mask exposed
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After about 7 years of long, intensive and meticulous investigation, the Special Investigation Team submitted its report in August 2025. This report completely contradicted the 10-year-old so-called truth.
The conclusion was astonishing. Vipin Patel was not driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. The driver of the vehicle was the deceased Amrit Sorathiya.
According to security officials, Bipin and his partner Maituk Patel had concocted a well-planned story after the accident. They deliberately made false statements to the police and the court and prepared fake evidence. He had conspired to extort a large amount of insurance money by forcing witnesses to make false statements.
Bipin Patel, who was acquitted a decade ago, is now the main accused in the Rs 25 crore insurance fraud case. Based on the report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the insurance company has filed a new complaint against Bipin and Maituk on the charge of fraud by making false statements, fraud and conspiracy.
The judicial process awaits the two men, who tried to profit from the tragedy by turning their partnership relationship into criminal greed.
