Chargesheet filed against 4 in land fraud case

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir on Wednesday said it has submitted a chargesheet against four persons in a major land fraud case.

A statement said the chargesheet in the case before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, was submitted against four accused individuals involved in a major land fraud case.

Officials said the chargesheet has been filed against Shabir Ahmad Ganie, Bashir Ahmad Ganie, Javeed Ahmad Hakak (then Patwari), and a deceased Patwari for their alleged role in preparing and using fake land documents to cheat innocent purchasers.

The EOW said the case originated from a joint complaint filed by multiple victims who had purchased 8 kanals of land through brokers. Of this, 4 kanals were shown transferred in the name of one complainant, 2 kanals in the name of another, and the remaining 2 kanals in the name of the third complainant’s father.

Despite the purported transfers, no legitimate documents were provided and subsequent verification revealed that the mutation numbers shared by the brokers were forged and fabricated, the statement said.

It said during investigation at EOW Srinagar police station, it emerged that the accused, acting in criminal conspiracy, had prepared fake land documents and misled the complainants into believing the transactions were genuine. In doing so, they extracted Rs 25 lakh, causing substantial financial loss to the victims.

The probe established prima facie evidence of cheating, forgery, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy. Subsequently, the chargesheet has been produced before the court for judicial determination.

The EOW reiterates its commitment to protecting citizens from economic crimes and ensuring justice through professional and thorough investigations, the statement noted.