SRINAGAR, Sept 27: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch Kashmir has arrested a man who had allegedly been absconding for several years in connection with multiple cases involving alleged cheating, forgery and land fraud.
According to officials, Soom Nath Koul, a resident of Bangalore North, Karnataka, presently residing in Janipur, Jammu, was arrested in compliance with orders issued by the court of the Sub-Judge, Srinagar.
A special team was constituted to execute the court’s directions and succeeded in tracing and apprehending the accused after sustained efforts, officials said.
The EOW alleged that Koul had remained absconding for years despite the issuance of hue and cry notices and was allegedly using multiple identities to evade detection.
Officials said five cases have been registered against him by the Crime Branch Kashmir. The cases relate to allegations of cheating, forgery and fraudulent land transactions involving migrant properties through fake powers of attorney and agreements to sell. In one of the cases, a chargesheet had been filed against him in absentia under Section 512 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), according to the agency.
During the investigation, the accused allegedly represented himself under different names, including Soom Nath Koul, Brij Nath Bhat, Mohan Lal Dhar and Hadi Nath Dhar, and induced people to purchase land through fraudulent transactions, officials claimed.
The agency alleged that the fraud involved land deals worth crores of rupees and was carried out in connivance with other accused persons.
The arrest comes days after the Crime Branch arrested Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Dar of Jawalapora, Budgam, who is also alleged to be involved in the same case.
Officials said further investigation is underway to determine the full extent of the alleged fraud, identify all land transactions involved and ascertain the role of other persons suspected to be connected with the case.
