Indian faked attack to claim insurance: Oz police

Melbourne: Jaspreet Singh, the Indian who said he was attacked and burnt in Australia earlier this month, may have actually faked it.

Australian police allege that Jaspreet faked the incident for seeking insurance benefits to overcome his financial woes. He has now been charged with making a false report to police to gain financial advantage.

At an out-of-sessions hearing, police said Singh had purchased an opaque plastic container and filled it with nearly 16 litres of petrol a day before he torched his seven-year old car to claim insurance money.

"Police inquiries have led us to believe that Singh is in some financial difficulty and that he intended to sell his car but instead stood to gain USD 9,750 from an insurance claim out of this particular incident," said Detective Senior Constable Danielle O'Keefe.

Singh, who is in Australia on his wife's student visa, had told the police that he was doused with petrol by some thugs and set alight as he parked his car near his home. Singh was taken to the Alfred hospital with burns to his face, arms and hands.

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According to Singh's account, he and his wife left a dinner party in Essendon between 1.30 am and 2 am and drove to their nearby home in Grice Crescent. He dropped his wife home and had gone to park his car when he was attacked.

Singh claimed that as he was getting out of the car, four men attacked him, pushing him back against the vehicle and pouring an unknown fluid on him. One of the men then ignited the fluid with a lighter before all the attackers fled.

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A senior police official Danielle O'Keefe said Singh suffered the burns while trying to torch his 2003 Ford Futura and arson chemists and hospital staff had concluded that the damage to the car, Singh's clothes and his injuries were not consistent with his story.

"Police had obtained security footage depicting Singh buying a 15-litre opaque plastic container and 15.96 litres of petrol on the day before the attack," O'Keefe said.

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Denying all allegations, Singh appeared in court with burn injuries on his face and neck. Through an interpreter, he told the hearing that he and his wife planned a holiday to India, leaving on February 20 and returning in late April to visit his child and family.

He was granted bail with strict conditions banning him from contacting witnesses and attending points of international departure. He must report to police thrice a week and surrender his passport. He will appear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on March 15.

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The January 8 incident came amid a spate of violent incidents against Indians, many of them students, in Australia in recent months.

At the time of the incident, police Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Neil Smyth had described it as "a bit strange" and said there was no evidence it was racially motivated. (With PTI input)

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