 Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, July 29: The Crime Branch Kashmir, now functioning as the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir, has secured the conviction of an accused in a long-pending recruitment fraud case involving the use of a forged educational certificate to obtain a government job. According to an official statement, the Court of the Special Mobile Magistrate, 13th Finance Commission/Railway Magistrate, Srinagar, convicted Nazir Ahmad Malik, son of Abdul Aziz Malik and a resident of Bunpora Trehgam in Kupwara district, for fraudulently securing appointment as a Constable in the 9th Battalion of the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) by producing a fake 10+2 qualification certificate. During the investigation, the forged certificate was seized by the investigating agency and sent to the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) for verification. The Board confirmed that the certificate was fake, providing key evidence that strengthened the prosecution’s case. After examining the evidence, the Court sentenced the accused to three years’ rigorous impriso The forged certificate was seized by the investigating agency and sent to JKBOSE for verification. The Board confirmed that the certificate was fake, providing key evidence that strengthened the prosecution’s case. ment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 under Section 420 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) for the offence of cheating. In case of default in payment of the fine, the convict will undergo 15 days of simple imprisonment. The Court also awarded the accused two years of simple imprisonment under Section 471 RPC for using a forged document as genuine. It directed that both substantive sentences shall run concurrently. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir reaffirmed its commitment to taking stringent legal action against individuals involved in recruitment fraud, document forgery, and other economic offences. The agency urged the public to refrain from using forged or fabricated documents for employment or any official purpose, warning that such offences carry severe legal consequences, including imprisonment, financial penalties, and irreversible damage to an individual’s reputation and career. The conviction is being viewed as a significant step in strengthening accountability and safeguarding the integrity of government recruitment processes across Jammu and Kashmir. |