SRINAGAR: Jammu Police have refunded Rs 75 lakh to 17 victims in a job fraud case after executing a court-ordered property attachment under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). This is the first such attachment under the new criminal law in Jammu and Kashmir.
The case was registered after Arun Sharma, a resident of Nagrota, filed a complaint on November 6, 2024, alleging that Harpreet Singh of Pallanwala impersonated a Lieutenant Colonel and collected money from him and others in exchange for promised jobs in government departments, including MES, MoD, and DRDO. “Harpreet Singh was arrested on November 7, and FIR No. 293/2024 was registered at Police Station Nagrota under Sections 319(2), 318(4), 336(2), 336(3), 338, and 340(2) of the BNSS,” police said.
During investigation, police found that Harpreet Singh paid Rs 1.93 crore to Kamaljeet Kour and her husband Suriender Singh—both co-accused—for the purchase of a duplex house in Channi Bheja, Jammu. The funds were identified as proceeds of crime collected from the victims.
“On a police application, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jammu, issued an attachment order on January 18, 2025, under Section 107(5) of the BNSS. A show cause notice was also issued to the accused. During court proceedings, Kamaljeet Kour admitted to having received Rs 1.53 crore and agreed to refund the amount—Rs 50 lakh within seven days and Rs 1.03 crore within two months. An additional disputed amount of Rs 40.50 lakh remains subject to trial,” police said.
The court ordered that the attachment remain in force until the admitted amount is fully deposited and barred the creation of any third-party interest in the attached property. The SSP Jammu was directed to open a dedicated account for depositing and disbursing recovered funds among the verified victims.
On Tuesday, Rs 75 lakh was refunded to 17 victims through cheques.
The investigation was led by Inspector Parvez Sajad (SHO Nagrota) under the supervision of DySP Vinod Kundal, with oversight from SP Rural Brijesh Sharma and SSP Jammu Joginder Singh. Legal assistance was provided by Senior Prosecuting Officer Altaf Wahid, and financial verification by Accounts Officer Kamal Bhagat. (GNS)
