ACB uncovers major ‘land scam’ involving hundreds of kanals

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday said that it has achieved a major success by unearthing hundreds of kanals of “land scam”.

As per the news agency CNS, ACB in a statement said that it has achieved success in extracting one of the major land scams in Jammu and Kashmir, wherein Custodian land in Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal area of Jammu district has been found usurped by the land mafia in connivance with the officials of Custodian, Revenue and Police department.

“Inputs were received that Custodian land in thousands of kanal situated at Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal Jammu, has been fraudulently grabbed by the land grabbers/gangsters in connivance with the Revenue and police officers/officials. The revenue records have been tempered and land has been sold to various persons,” the anti-graft agency said.

ACB said that it conducted a formal verification wherein it was found that in furtherance of the criminal conspiracy, FORM 3-A (Form Alf) along with power of attorneys (POAs) were obtained from various POK Refugees, alluring them with additional lands and providing them instant money ranging from 5000 to 50,000 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/officers of the Revenue and Custodian department, by sheer abuse of their official positions.

It further said that these lands were 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.

“Owing to the establishment of, prima facie, nexus of the criminal elements/land grabbers and the Revenue/Custodian officers/officials in alienation of Custodian land through fraudulent means, ACB has registered 5 formal case FIRs in P/s Central J&K for investigation under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud,” it said.

“During the course of the investigation, after obtaining the search warrants from the Ld. Special Judge Anti-Corruption Jammu, search teams comprising ACB officers, Independent Witnesses, Magistrates were dispatched to around sixteen locations throughout Jammu and its adjoining areas, which are still going on,” the anti-graft body said.

In addition to five FIRs registered, verification is still in progress to unearth the remaining usurped custodian land by land mafia in connivance with officers and officials of Revenue, Police and Custodian departments, it added.