Rs 75 lakh returned to victims of fake job racket in Jammu
The Jammu police have executed property attachment orders in a high-profile job fraud case, leading to the recovery and refund of Rs 75 lakh to victims.
The case centres on Harpreet Singh, a resident of Pallanwala, who posed as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army and defrauded multiple individuals of over Rs 2.39 crore by falsely promising jobs in prestigious government institutions, including the Military Engineer Services (MES), Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The fraud came to light after Arun Sharma, a resident of Nagrota, lodged a complaint on November 6, 2024, resulting in the registration of an FIR under Sections 319(2), 318(4), 336(2), 336(3), 338, and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Nagrota police station. The accused was arrested the following day.
The investigation revealed that a sale agreement had been executed between Kamaljeet Kour, wife of co-accused Suriender Singh, and the accused’s mother, Paramjeet Kour, for a sum of Rs 2.22 crore for a double-storey duplex building constructed on eight marlas of land in Channi Bheja, Tehsil Bahu, Jammu.
Additionally, an amount of Rs 1.93 crore was received by Suriender Singh and his wife from the accused Harpreet Singh through a combination of online transfers and cash. The money paid by Harpreet Singh was found to be proceeds of crime collected from victims in exchange for promised government jobs.
Following a police petition, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jammu, issued an attachment order on January 18, 2025, under Section 107(5) of the BNS, which was executed by the Tehsildar of Bahu. A 14-day show-cause notice was issued to the accused to justify the source of funds used in the property transaction, failing which the property would be liable for auction.
During court proceedings, based on the evidence submitted by the investigating officer, Kamaljeet Kour made a judicial admission that she had received Rs 1.53 crore from the accused. In a significant development, she voluntarily agreed to refund the amount—initially committing to deposit Rs 50 lakh within seven days, and the remaining Rs 1.03 crore within two months. An additional disputed sum of Rs 40.5 lakh is expected to be resolved during the trial.
The court ordered that the attachment would remain in effect until the full admitted amount is deposited. It also barred the seller from creating any third-party interest in the property. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, was directed to open a dedicated account for collecting and disbursing the recovered funds among verified victims.
On Wednesday, the recovered sum of Rs 75 lakh was distributed equally among 17 victims through cheques.
J & K