Jammu, June 14 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Anti Corruption Bureau on Friday achieved a major success as they busted one of the major land scams involving hundreds of kanals and booked revenue officers, land grabbers along with their conduits.
Senior officials of the ACB addressing a press conference here this evening said that the Custodian land in Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal area of Jammu district has been found usurped by the land mafia in connivance with the officers and officials of Custodian, Revenue and Police Department.
They said that inputs were received that Custodian land of thousands of Kanal situated at Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal Jammu, has been fraudulently grabbed by the land grabbers and gangsters in connivance with the Revenue and police officials.
“The revenue records have been tampered with and land has been sold to various persons,” said the officials.
A formal verification by the ACB found that hatching a 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 5,000 to Rs 50,000 by the conduits of land grabbers.
Then insertions and additions regarding additional chunks of custodian lands were made in the revenue records by the officers of the Revenue and Custodian department, by sheer abuse of their official positions.
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 Government, they said.
The ACB has registered five FIRs against the accused in Central J&K police station under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud
“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 16 locations throughout Jammu and its adjoining areas, which are still going on,” they said.
In addition to five 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, they added.
The officers appealed to the general public to share inputs related to the corrupt practices in any government organisation to the ACB for necessary action and the identities of the informers will be kept secret.
