We live in uncertain times and it is only good sense to invest in Insurance. Of course, to make a claim, your bike needs to be covered under a Comprehensive Insurance Policy that includes a Third-Party Cover, which in turn, covers it in cases of theft, natural calamities, accidents and more.
So, in case your bike is stolen, the very first step would be to inform your Insurance Firm and then, the police and that has to happen within 24 hours of the theft. After this, your representative at the firm will guide you through the entire process in regards with their company’s policies. The procedural with the police is never an easy one, in fact quite the opposite. This head-hammering process could take more than a few weeks, in some cases, a few months.
Your two-wheeler insurance company will send an Insurance Inspector to your home or to the site of the theft for a mandatory inspection and also, to check all the facts. He will also explain everything you need to know about all the important documents that are needed to be filed to actually make the claim.
Here’s a list of all the documents needed to file a Claim:
1. Original FIR (First Information Report)
2. Original Insurance Copy
3. Driving Licence
4. Original RC, which is your bike’s Registration Certificate
5. Original Pollution Certificate (Make sure that it has not reached its expiration date)
6. Your Statement (An authentic account of how the incident took place)
7. The Statement of anyone else involved, a family member, a relative or a friend (This helps in making a stronger case)
8. Your Bike’s Keys
9. Financier N.O.C (A No Objection Certificate by your Financier, if financed)
10. Certificate from the National Crime Bureau Authority
11. Vehicle Non-Traceable Report from the Police Station where you filed the FIR (To Remember: This comes after 3 months of the theft)
12. Original Bill of the purchase of the bike along with the receipt
13. Police Information Report (The receipt of your 100 Call or the statement of respected police officer who is inspecting your case)
Please Note:
1. You must acquire a duplicate RC (Registration Certificate) book from the Road Tax Officer’s Office with utmost urgency.
2. In case your bike was taken on a loan, you must reimburse the payout amount to the financer. The excess amount, if there is any, will be borne by you.
3. Keep a record of your dealing with the police as well as the Insurance Company (via E-mail, Postal Letters etc.)
4. You must prepare yourself for recorded conversations with the Insurance Inspector as part of the Insurance Company’s standard procedure. Make sure to not take the questions personally. It is the inspector’s job to be watchful for fraudulent claims.
5. Make sure that your bike is stolen and not towed away or moved by a family member or friend before filing a complaint to the police or the Insurance Company.
After you submit all the above listed documents to file your claim, the Insurance Company will need another set of documents from you. They will include the Transfer of your Bike’s RC (Registration Certificate) to the Insurance Company, a signed copy of your receipt of the claim in advance and the respective Police Station’s S.H.O’s approval that in case of the bike’s recovery at any time, it will be a possession of the Insurance Company and not you. There might be a few more documents, but that differs as per the various policies of various Insurance Firms.
But, just because all the formalities have been done, you do not just wait for the police to recover the bike or two-wheeler insurance to swift up the process of making good on your claim. As already mentioned these things take their due course and are usually, time-taking and tedious.
Regularly and persistently follow up with your respective Police Station about the traceability of the bike. If the police fail to trace the bike within 90 days from the date of the theft, they will issue a report called ‘No-trace report’. You must submit this report to your Insurance Company.
All the information enlisted here and the documents list is not exhaustive, it is only indicative. It may vary from time to time. The idea of this article is to make the readers aware about the all-purpose procedure of filing a claim. Always remember to be calm and patient, because there is more than just one occasion that your patience is put to test. Keep in touch with your Police Officer (the one who filed your theft report) as well as the Insurance Inspector. Most importantly, try and befriend them to your best capacity, so as to make this process least aggravating.