Srinagar, July 25 -- The accused, Shahid Rehman Bhat, son of Abdul Rehman Bhat and resident of Tulbagh Shangus in Anantnag, is the proprietor of M/s AR Trading Agri Services Pvt. Ltd. According to officials, Bhat convinced farmers to pay him hefty sums with promises of delivering High-Density Apple Plants - a popular and high-yield variety increasingly adopted by orchardists in the region.

However, after collecting crores of rupees, Bhat allegedly failed to deliver the plants or refund the money. When he went off the radar, the victims - mostly small farmers and agribusiness men - approached the Crime Branch with formal complaints.

Preliminary investigation, including scrutiny of bank transactions, revealed that Bhat had received substa...