Srinagar, Aug. 8 -- A retired government employee, now living in Delhi, says it has become a magnet for uninvited attention.

At first, the visitors were polite, presenting themselves as neighbours offering to "help" keep the land safe.

Then came the stories about disputes in the neighbourhood, hints that trouble was brewing, and advice to sell before matters escalated.

Within months, a circle of brokers, middlemen and sharply dressed "investors" began arriving with offers that were a fraction of the market value.

Many Kashmiri lawyers and former revenue officials say this pattern is no longer unusual.

The land mafia, as residents call it, has refined its methods, relying less on crude force and more on slow, calculated pressure.

The...