Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has unearthed a major land scam wherein custodian land in Bhalwal and Amb area of Jammu district has been found usurped by the land mafia in connivance with revenue officials.
As per an official statement, inputs were received that custodian land measuring thousands of kanals situated at Asarwan, Mishriwala, Bhalwal and RS Pura in Jammu has been fraudulently grabbed by land grabbers in connivance with the revenue officials. The revenue records were tampered with and land was sold to various persons.
The ACB registered multiple FIRs after it was found that more than 1,000 kanals of custodian land was shown allotted to the displaced persons from Pakistan and POJK on the basis of fake orders. The displaced persons are entitled for allotment of land under government scheme.
The ACB while continuing the investigation detected more such cases of land allotment in connivance of revenue officials. The accused, with the help of Patwaries, Girdawars, Naib Tehsildars and Tehsildars concerned of the Revenue Department got mutations of additional land at Bhalwal area of Jammu attested in their favour either without any government Provisional Rehabilitation Office order or on fake order.
“During verification, it has also been found that no such orders of allotment of land were issued by the office of the Provisional Rehabilitation Office. These persons after getting mutation of lands in their favour alienated the said land directly or through their attorney holders and conduits to various persons by resorting to fraudulent means, thereby causing a huge loss to the government exchequer,” a statement by ACB read.
“Owing to the prima facie establishment of nexus of criminal elements in alienation of about 12 kanals, 3 marlas of custodian land through fraudulent means, ACB has now registered a formal case under Section 7, 13(1)(a) and 13(2) of PC Act, 1988 (amended in 2018) and Section 120-B, 420, 467, 468, 471 of IPC in ACB police station, central J&K, for in-depth investigation under the provisions of J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud,” the statement read.
Six individuals have been named in the FIR including Altaf Hussain, resident of Gura Brahmana, Jammu, then Patwari; Amjid Malik, resident of Rajinder Pura Rahya Samba then Girdawar; Aqeel Ahmad, resident of Friends Enclave Chowadhi, Jammu, the then Naib Tehsildar Balwal; Mohan Singh, resident of Nanak Nagar Jammu; Rabina Kouser, resident of Poonch; and Nazir Hussain resident of Raipur Domana, Jammu.