Srinagar, Sep 11: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has unearthed another large-scale land scam involving the illegal usurpation of approximately 310 kanals of Custodian land in the Asarwan, Mishriwala, and Bhalwal areas of Jammu district.
According to an ACB statement, the scam allegedly involves a nexus between the land mafia and officials from the Revenue, Custodian, and Police departments.
The ACB’s investigations revealed that the land mafia, in collusion with these officials, fraudulently grabbed the land by tampering with revenue records and selling the property to various individuals, including members of their gang. The scam was furthered by the misuse of FORM 3-A (Form Alf) and power of attorneys (POAs), which were obtained from refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the false promise of additional land and quick cash payouts ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹50,000. These documents were then used to illegally transfer Custodian land.
This is the latest in a series of land scams uncovered by the ACB, which previously exposed the illegal occupation of 210 kanals of Custodian land, leading to the registration of five FIRs.
In light of the evidence pointing to a conspiracy between land grabbers and government officials, the ACB has registered 10 formal FIRs under the Prevention of Corruption Act, as well as charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and fraud. Search teams comprising ACB officers, independent witnesses, and magistrates were dispatched to 12 locations across Jammu following search warrants issued by the Special Anti-Corruption Court.
The ACB has assured that investigations are ongoing, with more land scams likely to be unearthed as the probe into the illegal occupation of Custodian land continues.
This operation marks a major success for the ACB in its efforts to dismantle the corrupt nexus between land mafia and government officials, which has caused significant financial losses to the state)
