Srinagar, Sep 1, The Court of City Judge Srinagar, Abdul Bari, has convicted five land brokers on charges of fraud, cheating and criminal conspiracy after a prolonged 15-year legal battle. The accused were sentenced to two years of simple imprisonment along with fines.
The convicted brokers have been identified as Ghulam Qadir Dar and Abdul Rehman Dar, Ghulam Mohammad Malik and Ghulam Mustafa Bhat, all residents of Mirgund Pattan; and Abdul Rehman Thokar of Khusipora HMT.
The case originated from a complaint filed in October 2009 at Police Station Batmaloo. The complainant, chairman of the International Building House Cooperative Society, alleged that he had entered into an agreement in March 2008 to purchase 109 kanals of land at Sharifabad through broker Ghulam Qadir Dar and his associates. The deal was valued at Rs 4.5 crore, and the complainant paid Rs 2.61 crore through cheques in instalments.
According to the complaint, despite receiving the money, the accused neither handed over ownership documents nor possession of the land, thereby defrauding the complainant. Following the complaint, an FIR under number 262/2009 was registered for offences under section 420 RPC. After investigation, police submitted a charge sheet in 2013.
The court, as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust, after hearing multiple witnesses and final arguments, passed a detailed 34-page order holding the accused guilty. Judge Abdul Bari observed that the prosecution had succeeded in proving its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Accused Ghulam Qadir Dar and Abdul Rehman Dar were convicted under sections 420 and 506 RPC, while the remaining three accused were convicted under section 506 RPC. All five have been sentenced to two years of simple imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000 each. In case of default in payment of fine, they will undergo an additional six months of imprisonment.
The court ruled that all sentences shall run concurrently. While awarding the punishment, the judge noted that the accused had already faced the ordeal of trial for 15 years, and therefore a lenient view was taken on the quantum of punishment.
