CB books 16 including Chandigarh firm owner, officials, Adv for frauds in Jammu

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: In a major crackdown on financial crimes and recruitment frauds, the Crime Branch (Economic Offences Wing) Jammu has registered five separate FIRs and booked sixteen individuals, including top executives of a Chandigarh-based company, officials of the JPDCL, and an Advocate, for their alleged involvement in multi-crore job scams, visa and document frauds, and fraudulent withdrawal of government funds.
According to officials, the first FIR has been lodged against Choudhary Mushtaq, son of Mir Mohammad, resident of Morian Manjakote, Rajouri, and others, for allegedly duping 41 job aspirants of Rs 1.43 crore under the false pretext of providing jobs in the Territorial Army, while issuing fake appointment orders to the victims.
The second FIR names Hem Raj, son of Durga Chand, and Kavya Nayyar, son of Ajay Kumar, both residents of Bari Brahmana, Samba. The duo allegedly cheated a complainant, Avinash Singh of Bhaderwah (Doda), of Rs 18.55 lakh by promising him a managerial job in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Katra.
The third FIR pertains to a visa scam worth Rs 17.09 lakh, filed by Prem Nath from Samba against the owner and executives of Chandigarh-based company M/S Saphire, located at SCO No. 64-65, 3rd Floor, Sector 17-A, Chandigarh. The accused include Jass Bajwa (Owner), Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (Manager), Gagan (Counsellor), Devinder Singh (In-Charge Refund), and Shalika (Authorized Signatory), among others. The firm is alleged to have lured clients with false promises of overseas employment and later failed to refund the amounts collected.
In another case, and in compliance with Court directions issued on the application of retired Executive Engineer (XEn) Shakti Singh, the Crime Branch registered an FIR against officials of the XEN Office, JPDCL Batote for fraudulently withdrawing huge sums from the official account of the XEN by forging the complainant’s signatures after his retirement.
The fifth FIR was registered on the written complaint of Nasir Ali of Mendhar, who alleged that false and forged affidavits were prepared and used in connection with an SRO-43 employment case. The accused in this case include Usman Afzal, son of Late Mohammad Afzal of Gohlad Mendhar, a woman from Mendhar, and Advocate Mohammad Wasim, practising at Court Mendhar.
Confirming the development, Senior Superintendent of Police (Crime) Jammu, Benam Tosh, said, “Five cases – FIR Nos. 59, 60, 61, 62, and 63 of 2025 – have been registered at Police Station Crime Branch EOW Jammu against multiple accused involved in job scams, visa frauds, and misuse of government funds. Detailed investigations are underway to identify more persons involved and to ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice.”
He further added that the Crime Branch remains committed to cracking down on white-collar crimes and urged citizens to remain cautious of fraudsters offering fake jobs, visas, or financial benefits through deceitful means.