The Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch arrested Tehsildar Nusrat Aziz and property broker Reyaz Ahmad Bhat in 2025, uncovering a systematic racket that repeatedly cancelled land mutations to sell a single plot in Balhama back to new buyers.
The fraud unfolded when a Tehsildar, in collusion with a broker, signed a mutation for a half‑acre parcel owned by retired official Mufti Manzoor, only to cancel it within a month and allow the broker to issue a fresh land extract.
Manzoor, who has been contesting the loss for a decade, now sees the case as emblematic of a larger land mafia network. He told investigators that the property, valued at over Rs 3 crore, had been fenced off and a house erected on his land despite his never having sold it.
Following the probe, the Revenue Secretary revoked the fraudulent mutation and restored Manzoor’s ownership, yet he remains unable to reclaim physical possession, a matter the authorities now deem civil and to be resolved in court.
A chargesheet has been filed against the pair, but both are out on bail, and the Crime Branch has yet to pursue departmental action against the Tehsildar. The case is set for a court hearing on July 5, 2026, where the judge will decide on the restoration of Manzoor’s possession.