When Insurance Becomes Deathtrap: Cop Suspected Of Murdering Two Wives For Rs 2 Crore Insurance Money

Two wives, two deaths, and Rs 2 crore in life insurance cover. That is the trail Odisha police constable Deepak Kumar Rout left behind before his arrest this week, a case that is now sending shockwaves far beyond Bhubaneswar, according to a recent report by the Times of India.

Investigators allege Rout murdered his 25-year-old second wife, traffic constable Subhamitra Sahoo, whose body was discovered buried in a pit disguised as a toilet in Keonjhar. The burial was facilitated by a relative, Binod Bihari Bhuyan, and a local landowner, Sambhunath Mohanta, who allegedly accepted Rs 5,000 to allow the disposal on his land. Mohanta even hired a digging machine, telling the operator it was for sanitation work.

A Pattern Emerges

Subhamitra’s death has forced a closer look at Rout’s past. His first wife, Aparna Priyadarshini, a revenue inspector, died in March 2022 in what was recorded as a road accident. Aparna’s family, however, has now lodged a formal complaint alleging that she too was murdered. They claim Rout abused her, forced her to raise loans exceeding Rs 10 lakh, and then collected Rs 1 crore from her insurance policy after her death.

The parallels are stark. Subhamitra, married to Rout in July 2024, was also insured for Rs 1 crore. Police say Rout began plotting against her in late August after repeated quarrels over money, including her demand for a ceremonial wedding. She went missing on September 6, and within days investigators uncovered her remains and moved in to arrest him.

For insurers and regulators, the case raises troubling questions. When someone takes out large policies in quick succession, especially in households already under strain, the system does not always raise an alert. Most claim checks still depend heavily on police papers or medical certificates, which may not tell the full story.

What can change? Industry voices point to the need for a central record of insurance exposure across companies. That would make it harder for one person to quietly accumulate large sums. Stronger checks on high-value claims, particularly in suspicious deaths, are just as critical. Families too can protect themselves by keeping nominees in the loop and ensuring policy documents are accessible.

The legal process against Rout has only begun, and it will take time before the full picture is known. Yet even at this stage, the case underlines a wider concern: insurance, meant to safeguard households, can be twisted into something very different when oversight fails.