In a landmark action under the BNSS, Jammu and Kashmir Police successfully executed a property attachment in a Rs 2.39 crore job scam here, resulting in the recovery and refund of Rs 75 lakh among 17 victims, a senior officer said on Wednesday.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, Joginder Singh, said the milestone reflects the victim-centric approach embodied in the new criminal justice reforms.
The case revolves around Harpreet Singh, a resident of Pallanwala, who posed as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army and defrauded multiple individuals of over Rs 2.39 crore by falsely promising them jobs in government institutions, the SSP told reporters here.
The fraud came to light when Arun Sharma, a resident of Nagrota, filed a complaint on November 6 last year, leading to the registration of an FIR under various Sections of the BNS at the Police Station Nagrota, Jammu, he added.
After the accused was arrested, investigations revealed that a sale agreement was executed between Kamaljeet Kaur, the wife of the co-accused Surinder Singh, and the accused’s mother, Paramjeet Kaur. This agreement involved the purchase of a double-storey duplex building constructed on eight marlas of land in Channi Bheja, Jammu, for Rs 2,22,50,000, the officer said.
Additionally, Surinder and Kamaljeet received Rs 1,93,50,000 from the main accused, Harpreet, through both cash and online transactions.
The amount paid by Harpreet was the proceeds collected from victims in exchange for government jobs, the SSP said.
On January 18, the Jammu chief judicial magistrate passed an attachment order in response to a police request under Section 107(5) BNSS, which was then executed by a revenue official.
A 14-day show cause notice was issued to the accused to justify the source of the funds used in the transaction, failing which the property would be auctioned, he said.
During court proceedings, based on clinching evidence presented by the investigating officer, Kamaljeet Kaur made a judicial admission that she received Rs 1.53 crore from the accused and voluntarily agreed to refund the amount.
The court ruled that the attachment order would remain in effect until the admitted amount was deposited and also prohibited the seller from creating any third-party interest in the property.
Following the court directions, a dedicated account was opened to collect and distribute the recovered funds among the verified victims, the SSP said, adding that the recovered amount of Rs 75 lakh was distributed equally among 17 victims through cheques on Wednesday.
The SSP emphasised that this marked the first instance in Jammu and Kashmir under the BNSS where defrauded money was returned to victims, exemplifying the law’s focus on justice, accountability and restitution. (Agencies)
