Baramulla: Police in Baramulla on Thursday foiled a major land fraud attempt in Wussan Kunzer and arrested seven persons for allegedly impersonating government officials and land brokers to cheat a prospective buyer.
According to police, the accused had fabricated a false ownership claim over a piece of land and projected one of their associates as its lawful owner. To make the claim appear genuine, one of the accused posed as a Patwari while others pretended to be revenue officials and brokers.
The fraud came to light after police verified the claims and found the entire deal to be a pre-planned conspiracy aimed at cheating the complainant.
The complainant, Abdul Ahad Malik, had already paid a substantial amount before police intervened.
Those arrested have been identified as Ghulam Mohammad Wani, who was allegedly impersonating a Patwari; Masood Ahmad Wani, who allegedly posed as the son of the purported landowner; Mohammad Yousuf Wani, Mohammad Abdullah Mir, Bilal Parray, Fayaz Ahmad Khanday and Riyaz Ahmad Mir, all allegedly acting as brokers.
Police said preliminary investigation revealed that the complainant had already paid ₹4 lakh in cash and transferred another ₹10,000 through a bank transaction. The accused were allegedly pressuring him to arrange an additional ₹20 lakh when they were intercepted by police.
During the operation, police seized forged revenue documents relating to 13.5 kanals of land at Wussan Bangil under Khasra numbers 271, 272, 273 and 274.
A case under FIR No. 42/2026 has been registered at Police Station Kunzer and further investigation is underway to identify other accomplices and ascertain the full extent of the fraud network.
Police have advised people to verify land records and identities through official government channels before entering into any property transaction.
