INSURANCE FRAUDS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 32, 20 January 1912, Page 3

INSURANCE FRAUDS.

So far as a man living in New Zealand may make inquiries, it would appear that not a great deal of credence can be placed upon stories which come out of Russia. For the most part they arc political, when they are not of the misadventurers of lovers. Perhaps stories relating to financial matters are more worthy of belief. Router’s St. Petersburg correspondent states that a man,named Poplavsky., the son of a lieutenant, has been arrested for perpetrating a series ol most amazing frauds on insurance companies. This Poplavsky, it seems, is a personality. The details of his career are almost unprecedented in criminal records. After leaving the Tiflis Gymnasium he entered the service of the Vladikavkas raihv ay, and when appointed a station master betrayed his trust by selling six vanloads of goods which passed through his hands. In 1893 he appeared in St. Petersburg, having obtained for two-and-sixpence the baptismal ceitificate of a child who died in the house where he stayed. He renamed himself, stating his age at 32; he merely put a 3 in front of the 2 in the authentic certificate. In his own name he insured his life for £ISOO in the Urban Assurance Company, and as Fediunin for £3500 in the New York Life Assurance Company. A yea; later he went to Pskpff with an old schoolfellow who was ill, and whom he inscribed in the local registers as Poplavsky. He himself masqueraded as Fediunin. In a few-days “Poplavsky” died, and “Fediunin,” armed with the death certificate and other necessary documents, obtained the £ISOO insurance, money from the Urban Company. But he jhad still to obtain the £3500 from the. New York Life Assurance, company." .This he juice ceded in doing by .obtaining a death certificate and making a few alterations in it. He then went to Nawa, and was Ivunitsky, a great timber merchant. lii .that name he insured for £3500, and drew the insurance when ' “Kunitsky” died. Presently lie drew £ISOO insurance on a wife he had married, A .few months ago he visited Helsingfors and insured his lifo for J £1250, . subsequently returning to St. Petersburg and mak:ng inquiries for a likely invalid with whom to change identities. By this time the motives of his affected philanthropy had excited the suspicion of the police. A strict watch was kept an his doings, his career was investigated, and in the upshot he was arrested. His reply to the charge was delightful—quite in Wainwright’s best manner: “There is no other career open nowadays to any decent man.” Until another mail arrives there will he no news as to whether his punishment fitted Ids crimes.