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Kashmir Land Scam Allegedly Resold Plots Through Altered Records
Mufti Manzoor bought land near Srinagar but later found someone building on it.
He said he had never sold the land.
Investigators said a broker and some revenue officials may have changed land records.
This could have allowed the same land to be sold to different people.
A second woman reported that her land records were changed and her land was later sold again.
Other people also said they paid money but never received the promised land or property.
One official, Nusrat Aziz, said she had bought land from the broker.
She later accused Manzoor and others of assault, but the court acquitted them.
The investigation and complaints describe a possible wider land fraud, but the allegations still have to be proved in court.
Retired Fisheries Director Mufti Manzoor discovered a house being built on land he had bought but never sold.
Investigators alleged that revenue officials and broker Riyaz Ahmad Bhat helped cancel mutations and resell the same plots.
Records in the Patwari office were allegedly altered, while central Parti-Sarkar records still listed Manzoor’s family as buyers.
A woman separately told investigators that purchased land was resold after changes were made to its Khasra number.
Other alleged victims reported losing money, land, or property in deals linked to Bhat; Manzoor said more than 30 people may be affected.
- Who
- Retired Fisheries Director Mufti Manzoor, broker Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, tehsildar Nusrat Aziz, other revenue officials, and alleged victims.
- What
- An alleged land fraud in which plots were resold and revenue records were manipulated or altered.
- Where
- Balhama on the outskirts of Srinagar, with other alleged transactions involving Pahalgam and locations in Srinagar.
- When
- Manzoor discovered the suspected fraud in 2017; a chargesheet against Aziz and other officials was filed in December, with the year unspecified in the article.
- Why
- Investigators alleged that altered records and cancelled mutations enabled land to be sold multiple times to different buyers.
Complainants and investigators
Accused parties and counterclaims
Land-record manipulation
Complainants and investigators
Manzoor and other alleged victims said land was sold to them but later offered or sold to others. Investigators alleged that revenue records and mutations were manipulated to enable the transactions.
Accused parties and counterclaims
Aziz told investigators that she had purchased land from Bhat. The article does not report a direct response from Bhat to the broader allegations.
Dispute over the land
Complainants and investigators
Manzoor said Bhat offered substitute properties that turned out to be unavailable, already owned by others, or mortgaged.
Accused parties and counterclaims
Aziz claimed that Manzoor and others assaulted her while attempting to remove a boundary wall on land she said she had purchased; the accused were later acquitted.
Key facts
- Initial purchase
- Manzoor bought three plots in 2012: two measuring 800 square yards each and one measuring 425 square yards.
- Discovery
- In 2017, Manzoor found the land fenced off with a house under construction.
- Alleged method
- Investigators said mutations were cancelled or records were altered to facilitate resale.
- Records discrepancy
- The Patwari office record was allegedly changed, while the Parti-Sarkar record continued to list Manzoor’s family as buyers.
- Separate complaint
- A woman said she bought five kanals and four marlas for Rs 88.4 lakh before discovering changes to the records and a later resale.
- Reported victims
- Manzoor provided a list of 13 names and said the actual number of affected people was more than 30.
- Court outcome
- Manzoor, his son, and another person were acquitted in an assault case filed by Aziz.
Quotes
Crime Branch investigating officer
An investigating officer involved in the alleged land-fraud inquiry
“She (Aziz) didn’t have the powers or jurisdiction to cancel the mutation. She was Tehsildar, Settlement, at that time and she could have cancelled the mutation only if the area was under settlement process. But it was not. Moreover, the cancellation could have been only carried out by her superior.”
indianexpress.com
“After considering the entire material on record, considering the facts alleged, accused persons are acquitted of the charge levelled against them… as nothing has been proved against them without any reasonable doubt.”
indianexpress.com
Mufti Manzoor
Retired Fisheries Director and alleged victim of the land transactions
“Just like the drug mafia, there is this land mafia. They are powerful people. My only aim now is to get them punished for what they have done with so many people.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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