Jammu, April 24, KNT: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has uncovered a major land scam in Jammu district involving alleged fraudulent allotment and sale of custodian land across multiple areas, including Asarwan, Mishriwala, Bhalwal and R.S. Pura, officials said.
According to ACB findings, inputs indicated that thousands of kanals of custodian land were illegally occupied through manipulation of revenue records, with alleged involvement of landholders and officials from the revenue and custodian departments.
A verification conducted by the bureau found that more than 1000 kanals of custodian land were shown as allotted to displaced persons on the basis of fake orders, despite such beneficiaries not being entitled to additional allotments. The allotments were allegedly facilitated through fraudulent means in collusion with revenue officials and Form-A holders.
Based on earlier findings, the ACB had already registered 24 FIRs, with investigations currently underway.
In a fresh development, the bureau said further verification revealed that certain displaced persons, including families categorized as Pakistan-occupied territories refugees, had already been allotted land but additional land was mutated in favor of their relatives. These mutations were allegedly carried out without valid government or Provisional Rehabilitation Office (PRO) orders, or on the basis of forged documents.
The investigation also found that no such allotment orders had been issued by the PRO, suggesting that the mutations were processed using fabricated documentation. After securing ownership, the land was allegedly sold or transferred to third parties through intermediaries, causing losses to the government exchequer.
Following the establishment of a prima facie nexus involving landholders and revenue officials, the ACB has registered three more FIRs at Police Station ACB Central J&K for detailed investigation under provisions related to corruption, criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery.
Those named in the fresh FIRs include Waryam Singh, then Patwari; Balak Ram, then Naib Tehsildar; Mohan Singh; Prem Singh, then Patwari; Bharat Bushan Mehra; Rahul Kai, then Patwari; Saqib Saleem, then Tehsildar; and Sat Pal, along with others.
The ACB said the case pertains to fraudulent alienation of about 20 kanals and 9 marlas of custodian land and forms part of a broader investigation into large-scale irregularities in land allotment and transfer.
Further investigation is in progress to identify additional beneficiaries and establish the full extent of the alleged scam. [KNT]
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