9 locations searched; documents, FDRs, cash, bank lockers unearthed
Prime land in Karan Nagar Srinagar given at throw away price
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 16: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) today conducted searches at nine places across Jammu and Srinagar including residences of three retired IAS officers, one of whom now a National Conference leader and private persons for their involvement in Roshni land scam at Karan Nagar in Srinagar.
The CBI has detected documents pertaining to property in Srinagar, Jammu and New Delhi, fix deposits, cash and bank lockers during the raids.
Five retired officers whose houses were raided include Sheikh Mehboob Iqbal and Basharat Ahmad Dar, both former Divisional Commissioners Kashmir, Sheikh Ejaz Iqbal, former Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, all three retired IAS officers, Assistant Commissioner (Nazool) Mushtaq Ahmad Malik and Tehsildar Mohammad Akram. Residence of political leader Sajjad Parvez was also raided in Srinagar.
Mehboob Iqbal’s house was raided at Greater Kailash and his brother Ejaz Iqbal at Residency Road in Jammu. Dar was a 1989-batch IAS officer and retired in the rank of Commissioner/ Secretary while Mehboob Iqbal was 1990 batch and his brother Ejaz Iqbal 1995 batch IAS officer.
Premises of rest of officers and private persons were raided in Srinagar.
Official sources told the Excelsior that role of Mehboob Iqbal and Basharat Ahmad Dar figured in the particular case of Roshni land scam at Karan Nagar in Srinagar when they were posted as Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Ejaz Iqbal as Deputy Commissioner Srinagar.
Mehboob Iqbal had joined PDP but later parted ways with the party and sided with National Conference. He was also part of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). He had contested 2014 Assembly elections from Bhaderwah seat as PDP candidate.
As per the CBI case, ownership rights of State land measuring around seven kanals and seven marlas of land situated at prime location of Karan Nagar in Srinagar, were conferred arbitrarily on an ineligible applicant at a throw away price.
“This caused huge loss to the State exchequer,” the CBI said.
It added that the land category was also arbitrarily changed by the then public servants, who were members of Price Fixation Committee (PFC).
During searches, the CBI teams recovered incriminating documents including conferment of ownership rights and papers pertaining to several immovable properties located at Srinagar, Jammu and New Delhi.
The CBI teams also recovered fixed deposits of more than Rs 25 lakh, cash Rs two lakh, keys of six bank lockers and a number of bank accounts of the retired officials and their family members.
The Central Bureau of Investigations had taken over the investigations into Roshni scam on the orders of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
Meanwhile, the CBI also conducted searches at two places in Srinagar.
The officials said that the CBI conducted searches at two locations in the case of Sajad Hussain Para from Baghat.
The spots where the searches were conducted, as per the officials, include house of Mushtaq Ahmad Malik S/o Gh. Hassan Malik, retired Assistant Commissioner at Jawahar Nagar.
The official said that Malik retired in 2008 and his last posting was Collector, Irrigation and Flood Control, Srinagar.
The other spot of the raid, as per the officials, was that of Mohd Akram Khan S/o Jalludin Khan, who retired as Tehsildar at his house in Jawahar Nagar and held the last posting as Tehsildar Srinagar. He retired in 2012.
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