POONCH, July 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a formal case against a former Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) employee of the Office of Collector Agrarian Reforms (ACR), Poonch, and others, in connection with the alleged embezzlement of nearly ₹56 lakh from government accounts.
The case (FIR No. 03/2025) has been registered under Sections 7, 13(1)(a) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and Sections 120-B, 467, and 471 of the IPC. It follows a complaint filed by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Poonch and a subsequent verification conducted by the ACB.
According to the ACB statement, the accused, Mohd. Jameel, son of Jalal-Din, a resident of Chandak, Tehsil Haveli, and then posted as MTS in the ACR office, allegedly embezzled ₹55,99,947 from the Current Deposit (CD) accounts of the Deputy Commissioner’s office between January 7, 2019, and October 21, 2023.
The misappropriation was first flagged in an internal enquiry conducted by a committee headed by the Additional District Development Commissioner, Poonch, constituted via order No. DCP/Estt/1832-35 dated November 3, 2023.
Investigations revealed that Jameel, in connivance with certain bank officials, fraudulently withdrew funds from three CD accounts maintained with J&K Bank, Branch Poonch City — account numbers 0585010100000602, 0585010100000838, and 0585010100000847. The withdrawals were made using forged invoices and by either faking the signatures of the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) — including the DC, ADC, ACR, and Accounts Officer — or using his own signature fraudulently.
The ACB further stated that part of the embezzled money was transferred into Jameel’s personal account, while other amounts were diverted to accounts belonging to his close relatives and unidentified individuals.
The involvement of bank officials has also come under scrutiny for allegedly accepting fake invoices and processing transactions based on forged signatures that did not match official specimens on record.
“It prima facie appears that the accused public servant, in conspiracy with bank officials and others, abused his official position to fraudulently withdraw public money, causing a wrongful loss to the government exchequer and corresponding gain to himself and his associates,” the statement noted.
Following the registration of the FIR, the ACB carried out simultaneous searches at multiple locations associated with the accused in Poonch district. The searches were conducted in the presence of magistrates and independent witnesses, with the assistance of local police.
