Properties of land scam accused attached

Properties worth crores of rupees owned by some accused in a land scam case, including some government officials, were attached by the Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Organisation in Pulwama district here.
Properties, both movable and immovable, of some accused in the land scam case were attached in Pulwama district yesterday, said a spokesman of the state government.
The market value of these properties is more than Rs 8 crore, which includes land worth Rs 1.25 crore, the spokesperson of the state government said.
The properties have been raised with the money (Rs 22 crore) misappropriated by officials of the then Pulwama Deputy Commissioner's office in connivance with Jammu and Kashmir bank officials and private persons during the process of land acquisition for the widening of national highway funded by the NHAI in 2010, the spokesman said.

He said the organisation has already attached a number of properties, including the palatial house of kingpin Farooq Jehanjeeb at Rawalpora here and frozen bank accounts worth crores of rupees by resorting to the special provision of attachment under the Prevention of Corruption Act Svt. 2006.
The investigation in the case is at the final stage and it is likely to be sent to the government for accord of sanction, he said.
Some of the accused in the case are the then additional development commissioner Adil Rashid Naqash, who was sacked last year and Showqat Ahmed Dar, Gulam Mohammed Butt, Taja, Shamin Ahmed Butt, Fayaz Ahmed Khan Dey, all alleged beneficiaries of the scam who were paid compensation money even though they did not own any land.