GUJRAT: It seems the gluttony of the private housing schemes mafia and the power that be supporting it has no end in Pakistan as another scam has surfaced in which about 100 villagers in Mandi Bahauddin have been deprived of almost 1,000 kanals of land in their own village without their knowledge.

The housing society involved in the scam is connected with a property tycoon of the country, presented as an example of success by many who ignore the foul play in the business of land done with the connivance of corrupt state departments.

A major scam of land has been unearthed in Malakwal tehsil of Mandi Bahauddin district where at least 100 villagers have been deprived of around 1,000 kanals of their ancestral land through illegal transactions of ownership in the official land record by the officials of the revenue department.

The said land located in Rukkan village, 17km away from Malakwal, was later on mutated in the name of a housing society owned by the grandson of a property tycoon.

1,000 kanals in Mandi Bahauddin village transferred to housing scheme without owners’ knowledge

The matter has been under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). Mandi Bahauddin Deputy Commissioner Shahid Marth had referred it to the ACE.

A case has already been lodged with the ACE against Malakwal tehsildar, a patwari, gardawar and some private persons under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Corruption Act.

However, so far only a tehsildar, namely Raja Aftab, and four private persons have been arrested and the other prime suspects particularly Patwari Raja Rizwan could not be arrested as he has reportedly fled abroad to avoid legal action against him. An alleged frontman of the housing scheme is on interim bail in the case.

Official sources say the ACE has been probing at least two more such cases of land fraud in the same village with the villagers after which the DC ordered to stop any further transaction into the land record of ownership in Rukkan.

Mandi Bahauddin DC Shahid Marth told Dawn by telephone that as per the initial inquiry, the illegal transactions were made from December last year till the first week of February on the pretext of rectification of the record as the land had been mutated to the other people without knowledge of the actual owners and the same land was then transferred to the housing scheme through a registered sale deed.

The DC said he had come to know about the matter within two weeks of assuming the charge in Mandi Bahauddin in February. The initial probe was conducted and he referred the matter to the ACE for legal action, the DC said and added that in the inquiry so far, at least 99 owners of some 94 acres (752 kanals) had been found. Out of 94, around 58 people had already appeared before him and the rest of them were yet to appear whereas he had also issued notices to the management of the housing scheme, revenue officials and others concerned to appear before him for the inquiry.

As far as the arrest of the main culprits in the scam is concerned, Mr Marth said, the matter was in the purview of the Mandi Bahauddin circle ACE and the other inquiries might also be attached to the already registered case with the ACE.

ACE Mandi Bahauddin Deputy Director Ziaullah Sohi told Dawn he had been probing the remaining two references in the matter whereas a case had already been lodged in March. He confirmed the arrest of at least five people.

Official sources said Patwari Rizwan had allegedly got posted in the circle through bribing a lawmaker of the then ruling party and further investigation could expose the role of the political figure into the land scam, depriving about 100 villagers of their land without their knowledge.

It is learnt that the bail petition of the arrested tehsildar had been dismissed by the Gujranwala anti-corruption court after which he approached the high court where the matter is pending.

All the land owners of Rukkan village have been asked by the administration to go to the Arazi Record Centre Malakwal to check their ownership details as the total land of several owners has also been reduced through the said fraud.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2023