Srinagar, Jul 8: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch Jammu and Kashmir has filed a chargesheet against a former Patwari, presently serving as a Naib Tehsildar, for allegedly manipulating revenue records to fraudulently claim ownership of ancestral land in Kupwara district, officials said.
An official told news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS), the chargesheet was submitted before the Court of Sub-Judge/Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Kupwara, in FIR No. 33/2021 registered under Sections 167, 417, 466 and 468 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).
The accused, identified as Leyaket Ali Khan, son of Mehboobullah Khan, a resident of Babapora Haihama, Kupwara, was serving as Patwari at the time of the offence and is currently posted as Naib Tehsildar, officials added.
The case originated from a complaint alleging that the accused manipulated official revenue records to transfer jointly owned ancestral land situated in Halqa Haihama/Gundi Sana in favour of himself and his brother through fraudulent means, they said.
During investigation, the EOW found that the accused allegedly misused his official position by making fabricated entries in the Khasra Girdawari registers, replacing original record pages and preparing forged revenue documents to falsely project ownership and possession of the disputed ancestral property, officials said.
The alleged attempt to obtain wrongful ownership of the land was ultimately unsuccessful as the Revenue Department detected the irregularities in time and initiated corrective measures, preventing the fraudulent transfer, they added.
The investigation, however, concluded that sufficient evidence existed to establish offences under the relevant provisions of the RPC, following which the chargesheet was presented before the competent court for judicial proceedings, officials said.
Meanwhile, the EOW has urged the public to remain alert against economic fraud and document-related offences and advised citizens to report such incidents to the Senior Superintendent of Police, EOW Kashmir, Crime Branch J&K. Victims have also been encouraged to submit complaints through the official email facility.(KNS)
