Chargesheet filed against businessman, retired govt officials in land fraud case

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the J&K Crime Branch has filed a chargesheet here in a land-fraud case involving retired officers of the Revenue Department and a businessman, officials said on Thursday.

The EOW has submitted a chargesheet in a case registered in 2022 under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, before the Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Srinagar, the officials said.

They said the chargesheet has been filed against businessman Habibullah Bhat, resident of Umarhair area Buchpora here, retired naib tehsildar Mohammad Rajab Reshi, resident of Brein Nishat, and then patwari (revenue official) Syed Khurshid Ahmad, resident of Lar in Ganderbal.

The case originated from a written complaint alleging that a fraudulent mutation of land measuring 10 marlas at Zoonimar in Eidgah locality of the city had been executed in favour of the accused beneficiary (Bhat) on the pretext of a sale deed, the officials said.

A probe was ordered, and during the investigation, it was revealed that no such sale deed had been registered by the sub-registrar concerned, they added.

The investigation established that Bhat, in criminal conspiracy with the then patwari and naib tehsildar, manipulated revenue records and fraudulently recorded mutation entries on the basis of a non-existent sale deed, the officials said.

“Their involvement in the commission of offences has been prima facie substantiated, and the chargesheet has accordingly been submitted for judicial determination,” the officials said.