Srinagar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of Crime Branch Jammu and Kashmir has filed a chargesheet against five persons in a case involving the alleged cheating, forgery and fraudulent sale of migrant property in north Kashmir’s Pattan area.
The chargesheet in FIR No. 34/2017, registered under Sections 420, 419, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), was filed before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Sopore, according to the EOW.
The case originated from a written complaint alleging the fraudulent sale of 14 kanals and three marlas of land bearing Survey No. 349 at Wussan, Goshbugh, Pattan. The land is owned by Jawahar Lal Bhat.
According to the EOW, the complainant allegedly paid more than Rs 1 crore towards the transaction but was neither handed possession of the land nor refunded the money.
The investigation allegedly revealed a criminal conspiracy involving impersonation, fabricated identity documents and the misuse of a purported power of attorney to facilitate the transaction.
The accused have been identified as Brij Nath, son of Tara Chand, a resident of Amit Nagar, Muthi, Jammu; Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar, son of Abdul Khaliq Dar, a resident of Samson, Budgam; Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, son of Abdul Ahad Sheikh, a resident of Sachen Banit, Beerwah, Budgam; Zahoor Ahmed Dar, son of Ghulam Mohammad Dar, a resident of Margipora, Pattan; and Reyaz Ahmad Rather, son of Mohammad Sultan Rather, a resident of Margipora, Pattan, Baramulla.
The EOW said two accused, Brij Nath, also known by the aliases Soom Nath, Hadi Nath and Mohan Lal, and Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar, were arrested in late September. Dar subsequently secured bail, while Brij Nath remains lodged in Central Jail. Other cases involving the two accused are also under investigation, the agency said.
The EOW further stated that a chargesheet had earlier been filed in August 2023 in another case, FIR No. 27/2021, against Brij Nath Bhat and Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, making the latest filing the second chargesheet involving both accused.
SSP EOW Kashmir has advised the public to thoroughly verify land ownership records and property documents before entering into transactions to guard against fraud and financial losses.
