SRINAGAR: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of Crime Branch Jammu Kashmir has filed a chargesheet against five persons in an alleged migrant property fraud case involving the purported sale of 14 kanals and 3 marlas of land in Baramulla district after payments exceeding Rs 1 crore, officials said.
The chargesheet in FIR No. 34/2017 has been submitted before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Sopore, under Sections 420, 419, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), covering allegations of cheating, impersonation, forgery, use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
The case originated from a written complaint alleging that the land, recorded under Survey No. 349 at Mouza Wussan, Goshbugh Pattan, and owned by Jawahar Lal Bhat, was fraudulently sold. Despite receiving payments exceeding Rs 1 crore, the accused allegedly neither handed over possession of the property nor returned the money.
According to the investigation, the accused allegedly conspired to defraud the complainant by impersonating individuals, fabricating identity documents and misusing a purported power of attorney.
The five accused named in the chargesheet are Brij Nath, son of Tara Chand, resident of Amit Nagar, Muthi, Jammu; Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Dar, son of Abdul Khaliq Dar, resident of Samson, Budgam; Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, son of Abdul Ahad Sheikh, resident of Sachin Banit, Beerwah, Budgam; Zahoor Ahmed Dar, son of Ghulam Mohammad Dar, resident of Margipora, Pattan; and Reyaz Ahmad Rather, son of Mohammad Sultan Rather, resident of Margarita, Pattan, Baramulla.
The EOW said two of the accused, Brij Nath, also known as Soom Nath, Hadi Nath and Mohan Lal, and Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Dar, were arrested in late September. Dar subsequently secured bail, while Brij Nath remains lodged in Central Jail. Other cases involving the two are also under investigation.
The agency said this was the second chargesheet filed against Brij Nath and Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh. In August 2023, the EOW Srinagar had filed a chargesheet against them in FIR No. 27/2021.
SSP EOW Kashmir has urged people to verify land ownership records and supporting documents thoroughly before entering into property transactions to guard against fraud and financial losses.
