A police inspector serving as a cashier in the District Police Office (DPO) in north Kashmir's Bandipora district has been booked by the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets worth crores in the Budgam area of the Kashmir Valley.
Sleuths of the ACB conducted raids at his residence after registering an FIR against the officer, who was also taken into custody for further questioning.
An ACB spokesperson said that the Anti-Corruption Bureau Police Station, Srinagar, has registered a case under FIR No. 20/2025 against public servant Peer Zada Mushkoor Ahmad Shah, son of Peer Zada Mohammad Akber Shah, a resident of Jawalapora, Budgam. The accused, an inspector (ministerial), was serving as a cashier at the District Police Office, Bandipora, and has been booked for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The case was registered following a secret verification into allegations that the officer had accumulated assets—both movable and immovable—far beyond his legitimate income, in his own name as well as in the names of his family members during his service period.
"During the discreet probe, it was found that the accused and his family members possessed several assets that could not be justified by their known sources of income," the spokesperson said.
The assets identified so far include:
- Land holdings measuring approximately 3 kanals and 6 marlas in District Budgam.
- Land measuring 1 kanal and 14 marlas at Shahpora Wathora, Budgam.
- A double-storey palatial residential house with an attic, constructed on a plot purchased at Ompora Colony, Budgam.
- Bank balances of around ₹48,26,036 in various accounts.
- Multiple vehicles registered in the names of the accused and his family members.
- Expenditure of about ₹40 lakh incurred on the education of his children in reputed institutions.
- Substantial expenses on foreign travel and insurance premium payments.
The spokesperson further said that scrutiny of bank records revealed several suspicious transactions and unexplained cash inflows. It was also observed that the accused and his family operated multiple bank accounts in different banks through which large sums of money were routed. Several high-value immovable properties were also acquired in the names of his wife and children.
The assessment of income vis-à-vis expenditure revealed that the actual income of the accused from known sources during the period January 1, 2012, to June 30, 2025, was grossly insufficient to justify the assets accumulated and the expenditure incurred.
"The findings indicate that the accused has illicitly enriched himself by resorting to corrupt and dishonest means, thereby committing offences punishable under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018)," the spokesperson said.
Accordingly, the ACB has registered a case under FIR No. 20/2025 under Section 13(1)(b) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), at Police Station ACB Srinagar against the said public servant for criminal misconduct and possession of disproportionate assets.
"Immediately after registration of the FIR, and in compliance with the Court Order dated October 10, 2025, searches were conducted at two residential houses of the accused in District Budgam," the spokesperson added.
The accused has been taken into police custody for questioning in connection with the ongoing investigation. Further investigation is in progress to ascertain the full extent of the illegal wealth accumulated by the accused and his associates.
