Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Economic Offences Wing Kashmir of Crime Branch Jammu and Kashmir has booked five persons in connection with an alleged land fraud case involving migrant-owned property in Baramulla district, officials confirmed Thursday.
The case pertains to an alleged fraud involving 14 kanals and 3 marlas of migrant land situated in Goshbugh Pattan in District Baramulla. Investigators found that the accused had conspired to sell the land through fraudulent means, fabricating fake agreements and executing a criminal conspiracy to cheat the complainant of crores of rupees, all without the consent or knowledge of the actual owner.
As part of the investigation, the EOW Kashmir conducted a house search at Banit Beerwah in District Budgam, where key leads were uncovered. The search was conducted under an FIR registered under relevant sections of law at Police Station EOW Kashmir.
Officials said the five accused were found to have been directly involved in duping the complainant through calculated deception, including the preparation of fraudulent sale documents and misrepresentation of ownership rights over the migrant property.
The case is significant in the context of ongoing concerns about the security of migrant-owned land in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiri migrants, who left the Valley during the turbulent period of the 1990s, own extensive landholdings across various districts. These properties have repeatedly been targeted by land grabbers and fraudsters who exploit the absence of owners or gaps in documentation to execute illegal transfers and sales.
Authorities have maintained that the protection of migrant property is a legal and moral obligation. The J&K government has implemented measures including dedicated records and legal protections for migrant land, and law enforcement agencies have been directed to take a zero-tolerance approach towards such frauds.
Further investigation into the case is underway, and more arrests may follow as the probe advances.
