The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of the Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch has filed a chargesheet against five people in a case involving the alleged fraudulent sale of migrant property in Pattan, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, officials said on Thursday.
According to the Crime Branch, the chargesheet was filed before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Sopore, in FIR No. 34/2017, registered under Sections 420, 419, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code. The sections relate to cheating, impersonation, forgery, using forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
The case was registered after a written complaint alleged the fraudulent sale of 14 kanals and 3 marlas of land bearing Survey No. 349 at Mouza Wussan, Goshbugh, Pattan, owned by Jawahar Lal Bhat. The complainant alleged that payments exceeding Rs 1 crore were made for the land, but neither possession of the property was handed over nor the amount refunded.
Investigators alleged that the accused conspired to cheat the complainant through impersonation, fabricated identity documents and the misuse of a purported power of attorney. The five accused named in the chargesheet are Brij Nath of Amit Nagar, Muthi, Jammu; Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Dar of Samson, Budgam; Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh of Sachen Banet, Beerwah, Budgam; Zahoor Ahmed Dar of Margipora, Pattan; and Reyaz Ahmad Rather of Margipora, Pattan, Baramulla.
Officials said two of the accused, Brij Nath, who is also known by the aliases Soom Nath, Hadi Nath and Mohan Lal, and Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Dar, were arrested in late September. While Dar secured bail, Brij Nath remains lodged in Central Jail, and other cases against both accused are also under investigation, according to the Crime Branch statement.
The statement added that the EOW Srinagar had earlier filed a chargesheet in FIR No. 27/2021 in August 2023 against Brij Nath and Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, making the latest filing the second chargesheet against the two men in separate cases.
The Senior Superintendent of Police, EOW Kashmir, has advised the public to verify land ownership and documents thoroughly before entering into property transactions, in order to guard against fraud and financial loss. The matter will now proceed before the court, where the charges against the accused will be tested.
