Lucknow, Nov 9 (IANS): A man, resident of Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested in Ahmedabad almost 17 years after he faked his own "death" to claim a huge insurance amount.

Anil Singh Malek, 39, had killed a beggar to fake his own death and claimed the insurance amount.

Following the crime, Malek, made Ahmedabad his base assuming a false identity as Rajkumar Chaudhary after his family claimed Rs 80 lakh in insurance money.

Malek started a family with his wife and two kids who had no inkling about his criminal past.

According to UP police, the case goes back to 2004 when Anil's father Vijaypal, his brother Abhay and Anil, then in his 20s, conspired to fraudulently claim insurance money. As part of the plan, they purchased a new hatchback car and LIC's policy for Rs 20 lakh in Anil's name. As per a clause, the insurance pay out would be four times in the event of the policyholder dying in an accident.

The Malek family along with two accomplices, Mahipal Gadaria and Rakesh Khatik, then began hunting for a vulnerable target.

In July 2006, they spotted a beggar and decided to make him the insurance bait. The three took the beggar to a hotel where they laced his food with sedatives.

After the beggar passed out, they put him in the driver's seat and pushed the car into an electric pole which led to the vehicle catching fire. To make the body unidentifiable, the three poured petrol on it and set it afire.

Anil was finally arrested after an informer tipped off the police.