Jammu, July 9: In a landmark action under the newly enacted Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Jammu Police has successfully executed its first property attachment in a high-profile job fraud case, leading to the recovery and refund of ₹75 lakhs to defrauded victims. This marks a significant milestone in India’s victim-centric criminal justice reforms.

The case involved Harpreet Singh of Pallanwala, who posed as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army and duped several people of over ₹2.39 crore by promising fake jobs in the MES, Ministry of Defence, and DRDO. A complaint filed by Arun Sharma of Nagrota on November 6, 2024, led to an FIR and Singh’s arrest the following day.

Investigations uncovered a property deal worth ₹2.22 crore involving Singh's mother and another party. The police established that the funds used were proceeds of crime. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jammu, passed an attachment order under Section 107(5) BNSS on January 18, 2025, which was executed by Tehsildar Bahu.

The accused’s associate Kamaljeet Kour admitted in court to receiving ₹1.53 crore from Singh and agreed to return the amount. The court ordered the attachment to remain until the full amount is deposited and barred any third-party interest in the property.

On July 9, ₹75 lakh was distributed equally among 17 victims through cheques—the first such instance in J&K under BNSS where defrauded funds were returned to victims.

The case was investigated by Inspector Parvez Sajad (SHO Nagrota), under DySP Vinod Kundal, SP Rural Brijesh Sharma, and SSP Jammu Joginder Singh. Legal support was provided by Senior Prosecuting Officer Altaf Wahid and financial analysis by Accounts Officer Kamal Bhagat.

The case sets a strong precedent for action under BNSS and underscores the justice system’s shift toward victim restitution and accountability in economic offences.