Srinagar, Dec 27:
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch Kashmir (CBK) has officially filed a chargesheet against a Baramulla resident for allegedly orchestrating a massive livestock fraud. The accused is charged with cheating a businessman out of lakhs of rupees under the guise of a government welfare scheme.
The chargesheet was presented before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, on Saturday, following a year-long investigation into Case FIR No. 17/2023.
The prime accused has been identified as: Muneer Ahmad Kataria, Son of Noor-ud-Din Kataria, Resident of Uri Salamabad, Baramulla (Currently residing in Shutrloo Rohama).
According to the CBK, Kataria employed a “calculated” strategy to defraud a local cattle trader. He allegedly induced the complainant to supply a large quantity of cows and sheep by claiming the procurement was part of a Government ST (Scheduled Tribe) Quota Scheme.
To win the trader’s trust, the accused initially made small, partial payments. Once the livestock—worth lakhs of rupees—was delivered, the financial trap was sprung.
The EOW probe highlighted several critical points of the fraud: The accused issued multiple cheques totaling ₹30 lakh. All were returned by the bank due to “insufficient balance.” The investigation revealed that Kataria executed misleading agreements and issued “fake cheques” under the false pretext of official government procurement. The complainant suffered substantial wrongful loss while the accused secured wrongful financial gain.
Based on the evidence collected by the Economic Offences Wing, the following sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) have been established against the accused: (Section 420) Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, (Section 467) Forgery of valuable security, will, etc. , (Section 468) Forgery for purpose of cheating, Section 4711 Using as genuine a forged document.
In a handout issued on Saturday, the Crime Branch stated: “The accused adopted a calculated modus operandi by executing misleading agreements on the false pretext of procurement under a Government welfare scheme. The chargesheet has been duly presented before the competent court for judicial determination.”
The filing of the chargesheet marks the end of the investigative phase, moving the case into the trial stage where the judiciary will decide the penalties for the alleged financial crimes.
