CBK files chargesheet against businessman, two revenue officials in land fraud case

Srinagar, Dec 3: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir has filed a chargesheet in a major land-fraud case involving a businessman and two retired revenue officials, following allegations of manipulating land records in Srinagar.

The chargesheet in FIR No. 79/2022, registered under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the RPC read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, was submitted before the Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Srinagar.

Those named in the chargesheet include businessman Habibullah Bhat, a resident of Omarhair Buchpora; former Naib Tehsildar Mohammad Rajab Reshi of Brein Nishat; and then Patwari Syed Khurshid Ahmad of Watalbagh Lar, Ganderbal.

The case stems from a written complaint alleging that a fraudulent land mutation involving 10 marlas under Khasra Nos. 467 and 468 at Zoonimar Eidgah, Srinagar, had been illegally executed in favour of the businessman on the pretext of a sale deed.

A probe was initiated, and investigators later confirmed that no sale deed bearing registration number 1693 dated 08-09-2003 had ever been issued by the Sub-Registrar concerned. The investigation revealed that the accused, in criminal conspiracy, manipulated revenue records and entered fictitious mutation details based on a non-existent document.

Crime Branch officials said the involvement of all three accused has been prima facie established, leading to the filing of the chargesheet for further judicial proceedings.