Reports by India Herald and The Times of India have spotlighted Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat over a string of high-value property deals across northern India. The disclosures have surfaced amid nationwide outrage following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 27 Indian tourists.
According to the reports, Prabhat — a 1992-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre — assumed charge as the J&K police chief in October 2024. By December, he and his family had reportedly acquired an eight-bigha agricultural plot in Phathi Baruah Kothi of Manali tehsil in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district for ₹9.6 crore. The transaction, including stamp duty of ₹76 lakh and registration charges of ₹19 lakh, was registered in the names of his wife, Poonam, and son, Ahaan.
The Manali property is part of what India Herald described as a broader pattern of high-value real estate acquisitions. In 2023, while serving with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Prabhat purchased a bungalow in Chandigarh’s upscale Sector 5 for ₹26.23 crore — one of the costliest known purchases by a serving IPS officer. The bungalow is jointly owned by Prabhat, his wife, and son.
The Times of India reported that documentation submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) indicates the Chandigarh deal was facilitated by a financial arrangement with Delhi-based businessman Vijay Bansal. In exchange for an advance, Prabhat is said to have transferred three agricultural plots in Zirakpur, Punjab — two of which were ancestral properties inherited from his grandfather, D.S. Mohi.
With a reported monthly government salary of ₹2,24,100, the scale of these purchases has triggered questions about sources of funding. In addition to the Chandigarh acquisition, Prabhat is also said to have spent ₹1.8 crore on renovations and additions to the property.
Other assets reportedly declared by the officer include:
- A ₹2.35 crore land parcel in Zirakpur, gifted by his mother, Archana Mohi, in 2021.
- A ₹37-lakh flat at Motia’s Royal Oasis in Zirakpur, bought in 2013.
- A ₹9-crore bungalow inherited from his father in 2015.
- A ₹25-lakh house in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
The revelations have prompted murmurs of concern within bureaucratic and political circles, with opposition leaders questioning ethical accountability in the security establishment. Though officials in the MHA are said to be in possession of the required documentation — mandatory for all officers on central deputation — there has been no official response from the Ministry.
The timing of the revelations, coming shortly after the deadly Pahalgam attack, has amplified public scrutiny.
Prabhat, a decorated officer with three Police Gallantry Medals and a Parakram Padak to his name, is known for his expertise in counter-insurgency operations. He previously headed Andhra Pradesh’s elite anti-Naxal Greyhounds unit and held key postings in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, as well as in Jammu and Kashmir with the CRPF and ITBP.
His appointment as DGP was viewed as a strategic move by the Centre following the retirement of R.R. Swain. However, the emergence of his substantial real estate holdings has cast a shadow over his leadership during a sensitive phase in Kashmir’s security landscape.
News Arena India has not independently verified the details cited in media reports. The Ministry of Home Affairs has not issued any official statement in response to the disclosures.
Follow us
