Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered two fresh FIRs in one of the major land scams in Jammu and Kashmir, wherein more than 1000 kanals of custodian land in Jammu district has been found usurped by the land mafia, in connivance with Form Alf holders and the officials of Custodian and Revenue departments.
In case of latest FIRs, the scam involved over 27 kanals of custodian land in Bhalwal and Amb areas of Jammu district.An ACB spokesperson said inputs were received that custodian land in thousands of kanals, situated at Asarwan, Mishriwala, Bhalwal and R S Pura Jammu, was fraudulently grabbed by the land grabbers or gangsters in connivance with the Revenue officers or officials. The revenue records, according to the spokesperson, have been tempered and land has been sold to various persons.
Spokesperson said that on the basis of the inputs received by ACB, a verification was initiated and on the basis of the verification conducted earlier it was found that more than 1000 kanals of Custodian land was shown allotted to the displaced persons on the basis of fake orders, who were otherwise not entitled for the allotment of additional land, through fraudulent means by the land grabbers, Form Alf holders in connivance with the officers and officials of Revenue department and others. Accordingly, 27 case FIRs were registered by the ACB in which the investigation was still in progress.
Again, during the course of verification it was found that displaced persons from Pakistan (West Pakistan and PoK Refugees) were already allotted land in their favour but even then the kith and kin of those families, although not entitled being Form Alf holders in connivance with the concerned Patwaris, Girdawars, Naib Tehsildars or Tehsildars of Revenue department got mutations of additional land at Bhalwal area of district Jammu attested in their favour, either without any government or Provisional Rehabilitation Office (PRO) order or on fake government or PRO order, the spokesperson maintained.
During verification, according to the spokesperson, it was also found that no such orders of allotment of land were issued by the office of the PRO. These persons after getting mutation of lands in their favour alienated the said land directly or through their attorney holders or conduits to various persons by resorting to fraudulent means, thereby causing a huge loss to the government exchequer.
“Owing to the establishment of, prima facie, nexus of the criminal elements, land grabbers, Form Alf holders and the Revenue officers or officials in alienation of about 12 kanals 3 Marlas of Custodian land through fraudulent means, ACB has now registered formal case FIR No 09/2026 U/S 7, 13(1)(a) & 13(2) of PC Act, 1988 (amended in 2018) and section 120-B, 420, 467, 468, 471 of IPC in Police Station ACB Central J&K for in-depth investigation under the provisions of J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud against six accused persons,” the spokesperson said.
The accused included the then Patwari Altaf Hussain, son of Said Hussain Shah, resident of village Gursai, tehsil Mendhar in Poonch, at present Gura Brahmana, Jammu; the then Girdawar Amjid Malik, son of Gulab Din, resident of Rajinder Pura Rahya Samba; the then Naib Tehsildar Bhalwal, Aqeel Ahmad, son of Mohd Hafiz, resident of Buffliaz (Chamrar), tehsil Suronkote in district Poonch, at present Friends Enclave Chowadhi, Jammu; Mohan Singh, son of Bhagwan Singh, resident of Batala, at present Nanak Nagar Jammu; Rabina Kouser, daughter of Sakinder Hussain, wife of Rayaz Ahmed, resident of Ward number 7, Surhoti, Mendhar in district Poonch and Nazir Hussain, son of Mirza, resident of Bagani Talab, Raipur Domana in Jammu.
Moreover, one more FIR was registered by the ACB after conducting verification on the basis of a complaint lodged by one Kuldeep Singh, son of Baldev Singh, resident of Marjali Kangrail alleging therein the fraudulent mutations and illegal conferment of ownership rights over land situated at village Amb, tehsil Bhalwal in district Jammu etc, spokesperson said. During the course of verification, it was found that the revenue officials by abuse of their official position and in criminal conspiracy hatched with beneficiaries Rashpal Singh and others fraudulently attested the mutations, in favour of the illegal beneficiaries, thereby illegally conferring ownership rights of land, measuring 15 kanals, 8 marlas (approximately) upon them (illegal beneficiaries) and causing corresponding wrongful loss to the government exchequer, the spokesperson said.
Accordingly, ACB registered another formal case FIR No 10/2026 U/S 5(1) (c ) (d) r/w section 5(2) J&K PC Act Svt 2006 and section 120-B RPC in P/S ACB Central J&K for in-depth investigation under the provisions of J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud against the accused persons.
The accused included Baldev Raj, the then Patwari Halqa, village Amb; Pawan Kumar Kohli, the then Naib Tehsildar and Rashpal Singh (beneficiary), son of Rama Jatt, resident of Marjali Kangrail and others.
“Further, investigation in both the cases has been taken up,” ACB spokesperson said.