JAMMU: Crime Branch, Jammu today produced challan against fourteen persons (out of which three have died) including officials of Relief Organisation, J&K Bank and some private persons for allegedly hatching a criminal conspiracy with the intention to cause Rs 51,85,000 loss to the state exchequer.
The charge sheet was filed in a special anti-corruption court for allegedly forging ration cards and embezzling funds meant for Kashmiri migrants.
Crime Branch, Jammu, received a complaint stating that Vijay Kumar and relief officer Vijay Kashmiri Lal Pandit prepared about 2,000 fake ration cards, SSP (Crime) Mubassir Latifi said.
The fund sanctioned against these cards was deposited in the Fruit Mandi and Ware House branches of the Jammu and Kashmir bank and later shared by the accused and Yashpal Khahuria, he said.
During the probe, relevant records were seized from Relief Office in Channi Himmat. Some cheques and ledger sheets were also seized from J&K Bank branches, he said.
The Crime Branch had also sought help of forensic experts with regard to the documents, he said. The Vigilance probed the case from 1994 to 2002 before the state government again transferred it to the Crime Branch.
Latifi said that this was one of the oldest case under investigation with Crime Branch Jammu. “The offences u/s 420, 467, 468, 471,120-B RPC, r/w 5(2) PC Act were established against 14 accused persons including officials from Relief Organization, J&K and some other beneficiaries and chargesheet was presented in the Court of Ld. Special Judge Anti Corruption Jammu.