Highway compensation embezzlement: Chargesheet against 60 filed

State Vigilance Organisation today filed a charge-sheet against 60 people, including government officials, for their alleged role in embezzlement of over Rs 22 crores from funds meant to compensate people whose lands were acquired in Pulwama for 4-lanning of highway.
After government had accorded sanction for launching prosecution against the serving public servants, the charge sheet in the case comprising about 2,000 pages was produced before the court of Special Judge, Anti-Corruption Pulwama, Haq Nawaz Zargar against the 60 accused persons.
“Challan of the biggest embezzlement scam produced by Vigilance Organisation Kashmir against the accused persons for embezzlement of more than Rs 22 crore from the accounts of Collector Land Acquisition Pulwama out of funds meant for compensation to the land owners for 4-lanning of Highway, was filed today,” an SVO spokesman said.
He said the investigation of the case was conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SP (ABP) Vigilance Organisation.
Seventy five persons were accused including the then collector land Acquisition/ADC Pulwama Adil Rashid Naqash and Land Acquisition Clerk, Parvez Indrabi.
The accused also include officials of Jammu and Kashmir Bank Awantipora and Lethpora.
Meanwhile, the spokesman said that matter has also been taken up with the Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Bank for accord of sanction against 14 serving bank officers and officials and on receiving the sanction, charge sheet will be produced against them.
The spokesman said the case pertained to embezzlement of Rs 22,11,89,400 from the official account of collector Land Acquisition Pulwama illegally opened in business unit Lethpora of J&K Bank over a period of 18 months with full knowledge and active connivance between conspirators.
“Money was initially transferred to the accounts of private persons on the basis of fake and fraud authority letters and then money was distributed among the accused conspirators as well as mis-utilised for raising immovable assets,” the spokesman said.
During the course of investigation, the properties worth over Rs 8 crores which included land, shops and residential houses were attached under the amended provisions of J&K Prevention of Corruption Act. “More than Rs 1.43 crore was freezed from the accounts of accused persons and their accomplices in more than 50 accounts,” the spokesman said.
Statements of over 200 witnesses were also recorded during the course of investigation, the spokesman said.