SRINAGAR: An Additional Sessions Court in Doda has framed charges against Arfat Khan, son of late Mohammad Aslam of Bulandpur, for allegedly causing a wrongful loss of over Rs 4.65 crore to the government by impersonating a public servant and using forged appointment and transfer orders, Daily Excelsior reported.
Additional Sessions Judge Archana Charak framed charges under Sections 465, 467, 468 and 120-B of the IPC after observing that the material on record prima facie established large-scale fraud involving fake government documents and forged service records.
The case originated from a written complaint filed on November 21, 2019, by Anuradha Gupta, the then Director School Education Jammu, who reported the detection of forged transfer and posting orders during scrutiny of lecturers’ records in the School Education Department. Acting on the complaint, a preliminary verification was conducted by Crime Headquarters Jammu, which found the allegations prima facie true, leading to the registration of FIR No. 24/2020 at Police Station Crime Branch, Jammu.
During investigation, the Crime Branch found that several government orders—bearing numbers 169-Edu of 2019, 171-Edu of 2019, 178-Edu of 2019 and 192-Edu of 2019—submitted by the accused were fake and had never been issued by the administrative department. These orders purportedly related to delegation of powers, constitution of committees and creation of posts.
Investigators further revealed that the accused had fabricated a service book under the name Arfat Ahmed Khan, showing his appointment as a computer lecturer at Government Higher Secondary School Basholi, Kathua, from April 3, 2012 to May 15, 2017. However, statements from former principals of the institution and the Chief Education Officer, Kathua, confirmed that no such person had ever joined or been transferred from the school.
The custodian of the service book, a laboratory bearer posted at GHSS Jakyas, Doda, told investigators that the accused retained the service book himself and never deposited it in the office. Through these forged and fraudulent means, the accused allegedly managed to withdraw Rs 46,53,354 from government funds.
After hearing arguments from Additional Public Prosecutor Rajesh Gill for the Union Territory and defence counsel Joginder Goswami, the court observed that the documentary and oral evidence, along with witness statements, clearly indicated that the accused had cheated the government and caused substantial loss to the exchequer, according to Daily Excelsior.
