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With anti corruption agencies pro actively reaching out to the land mafia ,the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has unearthed another major land scam involving the illegal grabbing of Custodian land in Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal areas of Jammu district. The scam allegedly involves revenue officers, land grabbers, conduits and beneficiaries, including Form Alaf holders.

 

In the fresh scam that has surfaced,  thousands of kanals of Custodian land are said to have been  fraudulently occupied with the help of tampered revenue records and later sold to various buyers. Eight new FIRs have been registered in the matter. The officials  said a verification by the ACB revealed that over 600 kanals had earlier been illegally allotted to displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) through fraudulent means. In those cases, 16 FIRs had already been registered and investigation was underway.

He said a fresh verification has now found that kith and kin of already-allotted displaced families, despite being ineligible, managed to get additional land mutated in their favour without any genuine Government or Provincial Rehabilitation Officer orders.“Many of these orders were found to be fake,” he said. According to him, the land was then sold directly or through attorneys to other parties, causing huge losses to the government.

 

“With evidence of a nexus between land grabbers, Form Alaf holders and revenue officials in the fraudulent alienation of about 150 kanals of Custodian land, ACB has registered eight more FIRs at Police Station ACB Central,” he said.The ACB official said the cases have been filed under the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act along with charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and fraud against several revenue officials and beneficiaries. They include former Tehsildaars and Patwari besides other officials who have held responsible posts in the revenue Department. 

 

The investigation is ongoing and further action is expected as more details emerge, the Anti corruption Bureau officials said adding that the land have been sold on self decided rates in connivance with the officials.