ED conducts searches in Jammu & Udhampur in custodian land grab case

Jammu, Aug 25 The Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Jammu sub-zonal office has carried out search operations in several locations in Jammu and Udhampur districts in connection with the custodian land grab case, an agency statement said on Monday.

Search operations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, were conducted on August 22 at premises belonging to various patwaris, tehsildars, middlemen, and land grabbers, who indulged in the fraudulent land grabbing and corruption involving custodian land (land left behind by evacuees, who earlier migrated to Pakistan) measuring around 502.5 kanals, the statement said.

“ED initiated an investigation on the basis of various FIRs registered by the ACB, J&K Police. The ED investigation revealed that a whole ecosystem involving multiple government revenue officials working in collusion with private persons, land grabbers and middlemen indulged in fraudulent grabbing of around 502.5 kanals of government custodian land (land left behind by evacuees, who earlier migrated to Pakistan), in and around Jammu," the agency statement said.

“The value of the said land is Rs 20 crore (approx.). Illegal grabbing of land was done from 2022 onwards by creating forged back-dated mutation records, powers of attorney, sale deeds, and false entries in official revenue records. Such fraudulently grabbed government custodian land was subsequently sold through forged documents, and the sale proceeds (Proceeds of Crime) were moved through multiple accounts relating to the accused persons used for personal usage," it added.

“The searches resulted in various incriminating documents relating to assets, revenue records and digital evidence. Further investigation is going on," the statement said.

Funds generated through hawala money rackets, money laundering, and drug smuggling are under the scanner of the security and intelligence agencies in J&K.

It is believed that these funds generated through unlawful operations are finally used to sustain terrorism in J&K.

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