Jammu, Jul 08 (KNO): The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday unearthed another alleged Custodian land scam in Jammu and registered two FIRs against revenue officials, beneficiaries and alleged land grabbers for illegally securing ownership rights and fraudulently alienating government land in the Bhalwal and Amb areas.
In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a spokesperson said the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau has unearthed another major alleged land scam involving Custodian land in the Bhalwal and Amb areas of Jammu district, where land was allegedly usurped by a land mafia in connivance with Form Alaf holders and officials of the Custodian and Revenue departments.
The spokesperson said inputs revealed that thousands of kanals of Custodian land at Asarwan, Mishriwala, Bhalwal and R.S. Pura in Jammu were allegedly grabbed by land grabbers in connivance with revenue officials. The revenue records were allegedly tampered with and the land was subsequently sold to various persons.
"Based on the inputs, the ACB initiated a verification, which earlier found that over 1,000 kanals of Custodian land had been shown as allotted to displaced persons on the basis of fake orders. The beneficiaries were otherwise not entitled to the additional land, which was allegedly secured through fraudulent means by land grabbers, Form Alaf holders and revenue officials. Accordingly, 27 FIRs were registered and the investigation is still in progress," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said further verification revealed that several displaced persons from Pakistan/PoK had already been allotted land, but their relatives, despite being ineligible, allegedly got additional land mutations in the Bhalwal area attested in their favour without any government or Provisional Rehabilitation Office (PRO) order, or on the basis of fake PRO orders, in connivance with Patwaris, Girdawars, Naib Tehsildars and Tehsildars. Verification also found that no such allotment orders had been issued by the PRO. The beneficiaries later transferred the land directly or through attorney holders and conduits by resorting to fraudulent means, causing a huge loss to the government exchequer.
The spokesperson said that after establishing a prima facie nexus between land grabbers, Form Alaf holders and revenue officials in the fraudulent alienation of about 12 kanals and three marlas of Custodian land, the ACB registered FIR No. 09/2026 under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC against six accused, including revenue officials and private persons. The investigation is underway.
The spokesperson said another FIR was registered after verification of a complaint by Kuldeep Singh of Marjali Kangrail alleging fraudulent mutations and illegal conferment of ownership rights over land in Village Amb, Tehsil Bhalwal.
"During the course of verification, it was found that revenue officials, by abusing their official position and entering into a criminal conspiracy with beneficiary Rashpal Singh and others, fraudulently attested mutations in favour of the beneficiaries, thereby illegally conferring ownership rights over approximately 15 kanals and eight marlas of land and causing wrongful loss to the government exchequer," the spokesperson said.
Accordingly, the ACB registered FIR No. 10/2026 under relevant provisions of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act and RPC against the then Patwari Halqa Baldev Raj, the then Naib Tehsildar Pawan Kumar Kohli, beneficiary Rashpal Singh and others. Investigation into both cases has been taken up, the spokesperson added—(KNO)