SRINAGAR — In a major crackdown on white-collar crime, the Economic Offences Wing (Crime Branch Kashmir) has registered a formal case against a man from south Kashmir’s Anantnag district for allegedly defrauding several innocent individuals, mostly farmers, by falsely promising them a supply of high-density apple plants.
The accused, identified as Shahid Rehman Bhat, son of Abdul Rehman Bhat, a resident of Tulbagh Shangus village of Anantnag, is the proprietor of M/s AR Trading Agri Services Pvt. Ltd. According to the Economic Offences Wing, Bhat lured people into paying him large sums of money with the assurance that they would receive high-density apple plants, a lucrative investment for orchardists in the region.
However, after collecting what officials described as “huge amounts running into crores,” the accused allegedly failed to deliver the promised plants or refund the payments. The victims, mostly orchardists and agri-entrepreneurs, approached the Crime Branch with complaints when Bhat disappeared without fulfilling his commitments.
A detailed scrutiny of the bank transaction records provided by the complainants revealed that Shahid Rehman Bhat had received large monetary deposits from multiple individuals across the region. Despite repeated attempts by the victims to contact him, the accused reportedly went into hiding.
Officials said that the evidence gathered during preliminary investigations points to a clear case of cheating and criminal breach of trust. Consequently, a case has been registered under section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 at the Police Station Economic Offences Wing Kashmir.
The Economic Offences Wing has assured that all necessary legal measures are being taken to trace the accused and bring him to justice. Authorities have also appealed to any other victims of this alleged scam to come forward and register their complaints to aid in the ongoing investigation.
