Law enforcement officers in the Bakhmal district of Uzbekistan's Jizzakh region have apprehended a suspect caught in the act of attempting to unlawfully sell state reserve land. The targeted operation, executed by the Criminal Investigation Service of the Jizzakh Regional Department of Internal Affairs, thwarted an illegal scheme in which the perpetrator offered to transfer title deeds using purported connections within local governing bodies.
Key Takeaways: The suspect negotiated the illegal sale of 0.8 hectares (80 sotikh) of state reserve land in the Alamli neighborhood for 230 million UZS. Operational units detained the individual red-handed while receiving a 200 million UZS payment. Law enforcement authorities have formally initiated a pre-investigation inquiry into the fraudulent transaction.
Investigators identified the suspect as F.Kh., who approached a prospective buyer claiming he could secure ownership documents for land situated in the "Alamli" mahalla. The land parcel in question lacked any legitimate entitlement documentation and formed part of the state’s reserve land bank. The suspect promised to exploit acquaintances in administrative departments to forge or bypass standard registration procedures in exchange for 230 million UZS, leading to his arrest with physical evidence upon receiving 200 million UZS.
The apprehension comes amid an intensified nationwide campaign across Uzbekistan against illegal land seizures and fraudulent real estate transactions. Under current Uzbek statutes, all allocations of land plots for business and private use must strictly pass through transparent, open online auctions hosted on the state-run platform "E-auksion". Despite these clear regulatory requirements, fraudulent brokers frequently exploit the public's lack of legal awareness by promising unauthorized allocations through alleged connections.
Authorities confirmed that comprehensive pre-investigation procedures are presently underway to establish all circumstances of the offense. Official charges are expected to be brought pursuant to relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, specifically concerning large-scale fraud and instigation of bribery, while investigators work to determine whether local officials were implicated in the scheme.
Source: kun.uz