Srinagar, 08 July (H.S.): The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Kashmir of the Crime Branch Jammu and Kashmir has filed a chargesheet against a former Patwari, presently serving as a Naib Tehsildar, in connection with an alleged case of manipulation and forgery of official revenue records to fraudulently claim ownership of ancestral land in Kupwara district.

According to officials, the chargesheet has been 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 has been identified as Leyaket Ali Khan, son of Mehboobullah Khan, a resident of Babapora Haihama, Kupwara, who was serving as Patwari at the time of the alleged offence and is currently posted as Naib Tehsildar.

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.

During investigation, the Economic Offences Wing 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.

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.

Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing 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 of financial or economic fraud have also been encouraged to submit complaints through the official email facility.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar