Jammu, July 9, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind action under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the Jammu & Kashmir Police have successfully attached property worth over ₹2.22 crore in connection with a major job scam, and disbursed ₹75 lakh to 17 victims defrauded by the accused.
Announcing the development, Senior Superintendent of Police Jammu, Joginder Singh, said the action showcases the victim-centric approach of the newly implemented criminal justice laws.
The case pertains to Harpreet Singh, a resident of Pallanwala, who allegedly impersonated a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army and duped multiple individuals by promising fake government jobs. The scam came to light after Arun Sharma of Nagrota lodged a complaint on November 6, 2023, leading to an FIR at Police Station Nagrota under relevant sections of the BNS.
During the investigation, police uncovered a property transaction involving a duplex house on 8 marlas of land in Channi Bheja, purchased through funds traced back to the scam. The property deal was between Kamaljeet Kaur, wife of co-accused Surinder Singh, and Harpreet Singh’s mother, Paramjeet Kaur. Kamaljeet and Surinder allegedly received ₹1.93 crore from Harpreet via cash and online transfers — money collected from scam victims.
On January 18, a Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Jammu, passed an attachment order under Section 107(5) of BNSS, which was executed by the revenue department. A 14-day show cause notice was also issued to explain the source of funds.
During court proceedings, Kamaljeet Kaur admitted to receiving ₹1.53 crore from the accused and voluntarily agreed to return the amount. The court upheld the attachment and barred any third-party transactions involving the property until the refund was complete.
Following the court’s directions, the police created a dedicated recovery account, through which ₹75 lakh was refunded via cheques to 17 verified victims on Wednesday.
SSP Joginder Singh highlighted this as the first-ever case in J&K under BNSS where defrauded money has been recovered and returned to victims. “This marks a significant shift toward justice, restitution, and accountability under the new criminal justice reforms,” he said.
