The Special Crime Wing Kashmir of the Crime Branch J&K on Wednesday carried out house searches at multiple locations in Srinagar and Budgam districts in connection with an alleged land fraud case registered under FIR No. 06/2026.

Officials said the case has been registered under Sections 420, 468 and 120-B RPC following a written complaint lodged by a resident of Humhama, Budgam. The complainant alleged that Tariq Ahmad Sofi of Solina, Srinagar fraudulently obtained lakhs of rupees from him on the pretext of selling land located at Narkara, Srinagar.

During the course of investigation, the Crime Branch prima facie found that accused Tariq Ahmad Sofi, son of Ghulam Ahmad Sofi and resident of Tulsi Bagh, Srinagar, along with Tariq Ahmad Wani, son of Mohammad Abdullah Wani and resident of Narkara near Unani Hospital, Budgam, allegedly prepared and used forged documents in connivance with the then Patwari to execute the fraudulent land deal.

The investigating agency said the accused persons, who were allegedly acting as land brokers, entered into a criminal conspiracy to deceive the complainant and misappropriate money linked to the transaction.

In continuation of the probe, searches were conducted in the presence of Executive Magistrates to collect incriminating material and other evidence relevant to the investigation.

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch advised the general public to remain vigilant against fraudsters and urged people to report such incidents directly to the SSP, Special Crime Wing Kashmir. (KNC)