Srinagar, July 20: A court in Pattan has ordered the registration of an FIR against 112 persons, including 111 alleged beneficiaries and a Patwari, in connection with an alleged ₹3.32 crore Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan fraud linked to J&K Bank’s Parihaspora Branch in Baramulla district.
The direction was passed by Judicial Magistrate Pattan, Anjeet Singh, on a complaint filed by the Branch Manager of J&K Bank’s SSM College Branch through Advocate Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat.
According to the complaint, the accused borrowers allegedly obtained KCC loans by using forged revenue documents, including Jamabandi, Girdawari and other land records, falsely projecting ownership and possession of agricultural land to secure the loans.
The bank alleged that verification later established that the land shown as collateral did not exist either in official revenue records or on the ground. It further claimed that an internal inquiry pointed to the involvement of the then Patwari, who allegedly prepared and authenticated fake revenue documents, facilitating the sanction of the loans.
The complaint stated that loans amounting to ₹3.32 crore were allegedly disbursed to 111 borrowers, with 110 receiving ₹3 lakh each and one borrower receiving ₹2.20 lakh. The alleged fraud came to light after the accounts became Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) and were subjected to scrutiny.
The bank also informed the court that, after issuing show-cause notices in line with RBI norms and considering the responses received, the accounts were declared as “Fraud Accounts.” It maintained that repayment of the loan amount by some borrowers after the detection of the alleged fraud would not wipe out criminal liability.
The complainant submitted that the matter had earlier been brought to the notice of the Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla, seeking registration of an FIR, but alleged that no action followed despite the submission of relevant material.
After examining the complaint, the court, in a 17-page order, directed the SHO, Police Station Pattan, to register an FIR against all 112 accused and conduct an investigation in accordance with law.
