ACB unearths another custodian land scam of hundreds of kanals in J&K

Srinagar, Sep 11: While continuing its tirade against the unholy nexus of revenue officers and land mafia, J&K Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) achieved yet another major success in extracting the land scam, wherein around 310 kanals of Custodian land in Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal area of Jammu district has been found usurped by the land mafia in connivance with the officers/officials of Custodian, Revenue and Police department.

Earlier, the ACB had unearthed land scam involving around 210 kanals of Custodian land, in respect of which five FIRs were registered.

A statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reads that inputs were received that Custodian land in thousands of Kanal situated at Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal Jammu, has been fraudulently grabbed by the land grabbers/gangsters in connivance with the Revenue and police officers/officials.

The revenue records have been tempered and land has been sold to various persons, it said.

ACB conducted a formal verification wherein it was found that in furtherance of the criminal conspiracy, FORM 3-A (Form Alf) along with power of attorneys (POAs) were obtained from various POK Refugees, alluring them of additional lands and providing them instant money ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 50,000 by the conduits of land grabbers, and thereafter insertions/additions regarding additional chunks of custodian lands were made in the revenue records by the officials/officers of the Revenue and Custodian department, by sheer abuse of their official positions, and these lands were sold by the conduits and attorney holders to various persons including their own gang leaders and members, by resorting to fraudulent means, thereby causing a huge loss to the Govt.

"Owing to the establishment of, prima facie, nexus of the criminal elements/ land grabbers and the Revenue/ Custodian officers/ officials in alienation of Custodian land through fraudulent means, ACB has registered 10 formal case FIRs in PS ACB Central for investigation under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud," it said.

During the course of investigation, after obtaining the search warrants from the Ld. Special Judge Anti-Corruption Jammu, search teams comprising ACB officers, Independent Witnesses, Magistrates were dispatched to around twelve locations throughout Jammu and its adjoining areas, the statement said.

"In addition to 10 FIRs registered, verification is still in progress to unearth the remaining usurped custodian land by land mafia in connivance with officers and officials of Revenue, Police and Custodian department," the statement reads.