SAHIWAL: A village lumberdar and his 12 accomplices along with revenue officials of tehsil Depalpur deprived a Dubai-based expat of 79 kanal agricultural land at village Pindi Mohlian of tehsil Depalpur by using his fake CNIC and a bogus power of attorney. The lumberdar, Jang Sher, and his accomplices first transferred the land in their names by using the fake power of attorney and later sold it.

After months-long investigation, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) arrested Jang Sher on the complaint of the expat, Muhammad Akram, and booked him along the Naeem Afzal, sub-registrar ADLR of tehsil Depaplur, Pindi Mohlain patwari Ata Muhammad Ata, a resident of Chak 18/SP, tehsil Pakpattan, Shafqat Ali, stamp seller, tehsil Courts Depalpur, Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Shahzad, Jang Sher, Zafer Iqbal and Nasir Mahmood with ACE Police Station Okara.

Kanwar Khalid, the regional director ACE, informed Dawn, a case was registered on completion of the inquiry conducted by ACE Okara.

The report said Muhammad Akram, a resident of Okara city had bought 111 lanal 15 marla land in Mauza Pindi Mohlian in 2004. As the land was barren, he left it for future agriculture planning. Akram moved to Dubai in 2013 by selling 32 kanals from the same piece of land.

Revenue officials among 12 booked for fraud

Talking to Dawn, he said that at the beginning of this year, he went to see his land at village Pindi Mohlain and found it being cultivated by someone else.

The villagers told him that Ata Muhammad Ata and village lumberdar Jang Sher had bought the land. Akram went to the revenue office of Depalpur to know the ownership status of his land.

The revenue land record showed that his land was resold under a fake power of attorney developed by Ata Muhammad Ata.

The revenue record shows Ata Muhammad Ata prepared a fake power of attorney (46/4) along with a fake ID on March 10, 2015 and sold 69 kanal 10 marla land. The land was bought by Muhammad Irshad, Zafar Iqbal, Jang Sher and Ata Muhammad Ata.

Akram alleged ADLR and sub-registrar of and patwari concerned all were involved in the fraud. He approached the regional office of ACE, Sahiwal.

Kanwar Khalid told Dawn ACE was investigating the role of ADLR Naeem Afzal and Halqa Patwari Fakhar Shah.

The ACE officials also tracked Imran Khan who developed a fake ID of Muhammad Akram.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2023