In California, Police have arrested four suspects for dressing up as a bear to lodge a false insurance claim.
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.
The state insurance department states that a gang claimed a bear had broken into their Rolls-Royce Ghost in Lake Arrowhead, in January and caused damage to the interior. Video footage was provided to their insurance company, that showed an “animal” moving inside the vehicle, but the grainy surveillance clip raised suspicions.
“Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume,” said the department, which found two additional insurance claims with two other companies, with the same date, location, and video footage. The other claims involved a 2015 Mercedes-AMG G 63 and a 2022 Mercedes E350.
A biologist was enlisted from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to review the tapes, and concluded: “It was clearly a human in a bear suit.”
Police, then searched the suspects’ homes and found a bear costume, complete with mask, and metal claw-like instruments.
Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, all from L.A., have been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy of $141,839.
No word has been released if there were any picanic baskets used in the videos.