Seven accused, including revenue officers, booked for corruption, cheating, and forgery
Diplomat Correspondent
Srinagar, (DD): The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir on Thursday conducted raids at multiple locations in Srinagar and Budgam districts in connection with a major land scam involving falsification of revenue records, cheating, and corruption.
The searches were carried out following the registration of FIR No. 14/2025 under sections 167, 420, and 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code, read with Section 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, Svt. 2006. The case involves seven individuals, including a former Tehsildar and a Patwari, who are accused of manipulating land records for illegal gains.
Case Background
According to officials, the case was registered based on a written complaint received by the Crime Branch. The complainant alleged that she had purchased 5 Kanals and 4 Marlas of land at Balhama at a rate of ₹17 lakh per Kanal from one Mohammad Shafi Lone alias Shafi Cheeni, son of Abdul Ahad Lone, a resident of Peerbagh, Srinagar. The total payment made was ₹88.4 lakh, including an additional exchange of 2 Kanals of land at Gooripora Rawalpora, which the accused later sold.
The complainant further alleged that the original sale deeds were taken back by the accused under the pretext of record updation, but were returned with tampered Khasra numbers. As a result, part of the land—specifically 2 Kanals and 10 Marlas—was forcibly occupied by another individual, Rayaz Ahmad Bhat, who claimed to have bought the same piece of land from a different person.
Fraudulently Inserted Mutations
Investigations revealed that the Khasra numbers in the sale deeds were changed from 314, 315, 324 to 290, 316, and 312—allowing manipulation in ownership claims. The probe also found that false mutations were entered into revenue records by then Tehsildar Balhama, Nusrat Aziz, and Patwari Ashiq Ali, to benefit Rayaz Ahmad Bhat, who subsequently sold land that was never legally his.
Accused Persons
The following individuals have been named in the FIR:
Ms. Nusrat Aziz, daughter of Abdul Aziz Lone, resident of Gurez (then Tehsildar Balhama)
Ashiq Ali, son of Ghulam Rasool Khan, originally from Panner Jagir (then Patwari Balhama)
Rayaz Ahmad Bhat, son of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, resident of Nowgam
Mohammad Shafi Lone alias Shafi Cheeni, son of Abdul Ahad Lone, resident of Peerbagh
Shamima Akhter, wife of Mohammad Shafi Lone, resident of Gooripora Rawalpora
Shahnawaz Ahmad Rather, son of Noor Mohammad Rather, resident of Padshahi Bagh
Shabir Ahmad Wani, son of Mohammad Ismail Wani, resident of Bagandar Lasjan
Organized Fraud Network
Officials said that these individuals operated in a coordinated manner, misleading unsuspecting buyers and causing significant financial loss and emotional distress to residents of Srinagar and Budgam.
It is also notable that Smt. Nusrat Aziz and some others named in the present FIR are already accused in another case—FIR No. 08/2021—under various sections including 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B RPC read with 5(2) of the Corruption Act, which is nearing completion.
Raids Underway
Acting on search warrants obtained from the court, the EOW teams have launched simultaneous searches at seven locations across Srinagar and Budgam districts. Authorities confirmed that further legal proceedings are underway(DD)
