Archive · 9 Oct 2026
Kashmir Police Arrest Ex-Doctor in Alleged Migrant Land Fraud
Police in Jammu and Kashmir arrested an 80-year-old former doctor named Somnath Koul.
They say he used different names and fake papers to sell land that did not belong to him.
Some of the land had been left behind by Kashmiri Pandit families who had moved away.
Police say he sometimes pretended to be a lawyer or the landowner.
One buyer said he paid ₹93 lakh but later found out the seller did not own the land.
Police searched for Koul for nine months before arresting him.
They also arrested a land broker whom they say helped find buyers.
Investigators say cases connected to Koul go back to 2017.
The accusations are allegations, and the article does not report a court verdict.
Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested 80-year-old former Ayurvedic doctor Somnath Koul after a nine-month manhunt over alleged fraudulent land sales.
Police say Koul used several identities and forged documents, posing at times as a lawyer, landowner or displaced Kashmiri Pandit.
A complainant said he paid ₹93 lakh for land and poplar trees, then learned the seller did not own the property.
Investigators say the alleged scheme targeted land left behind by Kashmiri Pandit migrants and that related cases date back to 2017.
Police also arrested land broker Ghulam Mohidin Dar, whom they say helped attract buyers; investigators linked Koul to four other cases.
- Who
- Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested former Ayurvedic doctor Somnath Koul; police also arrested land broker Ghulam Mohidin Dar.
- What
- Koul is accused of using aliases and forged documents in fraudulent land deals involving property left by Kashmiri Pandit migrants.
- When
- The alleged cases date back to 2017; Koul was arrested after a nine-month manhunt. The article reports a complaint in November 2025.
- Where
- Srinagar outskirts and land in Pulwama, Bijbehara, and Goshabugh in Pattan, Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir.
- Why
- Police allege Koul used false identities and documents to collect money from prospective land buyers.
Police allegations
Accused's response
Alleged land fraud
Police allegations
Police allege Koul used multiple identities and forged documents to sell land he did not own and collect buyers' money.
Accused's response
The article provides no response from Koul or his representatives; the allegations have not been presented as a court finding.
- Accused
- Somnath Koul, 80, a former Ayurvedic doctor
- Reported aliases
- Mohan Lal Dhar, Brijnath Bhat, and Hadinath Dhar
- Arrest
- After a nine-month manhunt
- Reported complaint amount
- ₹93 lakh for about half an acre in Pulwama and 300 poplar trees on land in Bijbehara
- Earlier reported deal
- A 2017 complaint alleged a ₹55 lakh deal; ₹9.17 lakh was paid in advance
- Other arrest
- Land broker Ghulam Mohidin Dar was arrested in September
- Related cases
- Police said they found four other cases, including one from 2017 and three registered from 2021 to 2026