ACB Uncovers Illegal Land Mutation Scam in Bijbehara

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered FIRs against a former Tehsildar and several other revenue officials for their alleged involvement in an illegal land mutation scam in Bijbehara. This investigation is part of a broader crackdown on administrative irregularities involving the illicit transfer of land records. The officials are accused of manipulating official documents to facilitate fraudulent mutations, benefiting land grabbers at the expense of genuine ownership rights.

The probe was triggered by persistent reports of land record manipulation within the revenue department, which had been a point of contention among local landowners. Investigative efforts revealed that the accused allegedly bypassed established procedures to record land under unauthorized names, indicating a long-standing nexus between some administrative staff and land grabbers. These findings are consistent with recent ACB operations in other regions of the territory where similar custodial land scams have been unearthed and addressed through legal action.

The authorities have now commenced formal criminal proceedings against the implicated individuals. The legal process is expected to involve a comprehensive forensic audit of all land mutation records in the affected jurisdiction to identify the full extent of the fraudulent activities. The government is emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy toward administrative corruption, particularly in land-related services. This case underscores the urgency of digitizing land records to reduce human interference in the mutation process, a move that the administration intends to expedite to protect landowners from future exploitation.