Srinagar- The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir has filed a chargesheet in a major land-fraud case involving a businessman and two retired revenue officials, following allegations of a forged land mutation executed on the basis of a non-existent sale deed.

Officials said the chargesheet in FIR No. 79/2022, registered under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the RPC read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, has been submitted before the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Srinagar.

The accused named in the chargesheet include:

• Habibullah Bhat, businessman, resident of Omarhair Buchpora;
• Mohammad Rajab Reshi, retired Naib Tehsildar, resident of Brein Nishat;
• Syed Khurshid Ahmad, then Patwari, resident of Watalbagh Lar, Ganderbal.

The case originated from a complaint alleging that a fraudulent mutation of 10 marlas of land under Khasra Nos. 467 and 468 at Zoonimar Eidgah, Srinagar, had been entered in favour of the accused beneficiary on the basis of a purported sale deed. Investigators later found that no such sale deed-claimed to be registered under No. 1693 dated 08.09.2003-had ever been issued by the concerned Sub-Registrar.

During the investigation, Crime Branch officers established that the accused businessman, in connivance with the then Patwari and Naib Tehsildar, manipulated revenue records to unlawfully record mutation entries in his favour. The probe confirmed that the revenue officials had facilitated the fraudulent mutation despite the absence of any valid sale deed.

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