Luxury cars, a bear costume, and Rs 1.2 crore payout: How 4 men fooled insurance companies

It was no bear that caused damage to the cars. (Representational)

In a bizarre twist to an insurance fraud case, four people in Southern California, US, have been arrested for allegedly staging car damage by a bear, which turned out to be a person in a bear costume. The scam, involving three luxury cars, cost insurance companies $141,839 (Rs 1.2 crore), according to the California Department of Insurance.

The alleged incident occurred on January 8 when the suspects claimed a bear had damaged a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost parked at Lake Arrowhead, a scenic spot in the San Bernardino Mountains. Video evidence submitted to support the claim purportedly showed a bear entering the vehicle. However, investigators found glaring inconsistencies.

“Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume,” the Department of Insurance revealed in a statement as reported by NBC.

Further investigations uncovered similar claims involving a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350. In each case, videos submitted by the suspects depicted the same costumed "bear" causing damage.

The suspects, identified as Ruben Tamrazian, 26; Ararat Chirkinian, 39; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, were arrested on charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy. Officials recovered the bear costume from one of the suspects’ homes, complete with brown fur, a headpiece resembling a bear, and metal hand tools to mimic claw marks.

The alleged claw marks, visible in the video evidence, appeared as minor grooves on the seats and interiors of the vehicles. Experts from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reviewed the videos and confirmed the fraud. A department biologist noted that the figure in the footage was “clearly a human in a bear suit.”

While bears are native to the San Bernardino Mountains, the only wild species in the area are black bears, which can range in colour from black to brown. The state’s grizzly bear population was wiped out in the 1920s due to hunting.

A spokesperson for the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that charges have been submitted and are under review. It remains unclear whether the suspects have retained legal representation.