Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 8

Jammu and Kashmir’s Crime Branch has filed a chargesheet against a former revenue official accused of manipulating land records to fraudulently transfer ownership of jointly held ancestral property in Kupwara district, officials said on Wednesday.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch filed the chargesheet before a court in Kupwara against Leyaket Ali Khan, a former patwari who is currently serving as a naib tehsildar, alleging that he abused his official position to alter revenue records for personal gain.

The charges stem from an investigation into alleged tampering of official land records relating to ancestral property located in Haihama and Gundi Sana areas of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

According to the Crime Branch, the accused allegedly manipulated entries in official Khasra Girdawari registers, replaced pages of government revenue records and forged official documents to falsely establish ownership and possession of land jointly inherited by family members.

Investigators said the alleged fraud was intended to facilitate the transfer of the property in favour of the accused and his brother.

The Crime Branch said the alleged attempt to secure ownership was ultimately thwarted after the Revenue Department detected irregularities and initiated corrective action before the transfer could be completed.

Following its investigation, the agency said it had found sufficient evidence to prosecute the accused under provisions of the erstwhile Ranbir Penal Code relating to preparation of incorrect public records, cheating and forgery.

The chargesheet has been filed before the Court of the Sub-Judge and Judicial Magistrate First Class, Kupwara, which will now determine whether to formally frame charges and proceed with trial.

The Crime Branch urged the public to report suspected cases of economic fraud and manipulation of public records, saying complaints could be lodged with the Economic Offences Wing or through the agency’s designated reporting channels.

The case forms part of a broader crackdown by investigative agencies in Jammu and Kashmir on alleged corruption and irregularities involving land administration and revenue records, a sector that has witnessed increased scrutiny in recent years.