J&K anti-graft body unearths another land scam in Jammu

Jammu, Nov 8 The J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said on Friday that it has unearthed another land scam in the Jammu district involving the land mafia, and some revenue and police officers.

An ACB statement said that it has exposed a nexus of revenue officers and land mafia, wherein around 40 kanals of custodian land in the Asarwan area of Jammu has been found usurped by the land mafia.

It said that the bureau earlier unearthed a land scam involving more than 500 kanals of custodian land for which 15 FIRs have already been registered for investigation.

"Inputs were received that custodian land at Asarwan, Mishriwala, and Bhalwa in Jammu, has been fraudulently grabbed by the land mafia in connivance with the revenue and police officers. The revenue records have been tampered with and land has been sold to various persons. The ACB conducted a formal verification wherein it was found that in furtherance of the criminal conspiracy, Form 3-A along with the powers of attorney (POAs) were obtained from various Pakistan-occupied J&K refugees, alluring them of additional lands and providing them instant money by the conduits of land grabbers and thereafter insertions/additions regarding additional chunks of custodian lands were made in the revenue records by the officials of the Revenue and Custodian Department by sheer abuse of their official positions," the statement said.

"The land was sold by the conduits and attorney holders to various persons including their own gang leaders and members by resorting to fraudulent means thereby causing a huge loss to the government exchequer."

The ACB said that owing to the establishment of, prima facie, nexus of the criminal elements/land grabbers and the revenue/custodian officers in the alienation of custodian land through fraudulent means, it has registered case FIR No. 20/2024 in P/s Central J&K for investigation under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud punishable u/s 7, 13 (1) (a) and 13(2) of PC Act, 1988 (amended in 2018) and sections 120-B, 420, 467, 468, 471 of the IPC against involved persons.

“During the course of investigation after obtaining the search warrant from the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption cases, Jammu, search teams comprising ACB officers, independent witnesses, and magistrates were dispatched to around six locations throughout Jammu and its adjoining areas. As of now, 16 FIRs have been registered for investigation while verification is still in progress to unearth the remaining usurped custodian land by land mafia in connivance with officers and officials of the Revenue, Police, and Custodian Departments," the statement said.

Source: IANS