States »NortPosted at: Jul 24 2021 8:08PM Arms license case: CBI conducts raids at 40 locations in J&K, Delhi
Srinagar, Jul 24 (UNI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday raided 40 locations in Jammu and Kashmir, and the national capital in connection with a case pertaining to fraudulently issuing gun licences in the erstwhile state of J&K.
Official sources said that the sleuths of CBI assisted by police and CRPF raided 40 locations spread across Srinagar, Jammu, Rajouri, Udhampur, Baramulla, Anantnag and Delhi since early this morning. “All the roads leading to these locations were sealed and no one was allowed to go out or come in,” they said.
“The locations in the valley include the residence of Secretary, Tribal Affairs Department, J&K Government and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mission Youth J&K and Skill Development Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary at Tulsi Bagh government quarters in Srinagar,” they said.
“These raids were conducted at the official and residential premises of some public servants, including IAS, KAS officers, besides around 20 gun houses and dealers,” they said.
Mr Choudhary has served as the deputy commissioner of Reasi, Kathua, Udhampur, Rajouri and Srinagar.
Meanwhile, reacting to the reports, Mr Choudhary said with reference to media reports he has to confirm that CBI did search his residence and found nothing incriminating in ongoing arms license probe. “Media friends may note the probe covers 4 years across all districts,” he wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.
Mr Choudhary also presented stats claiming that the licences issued in three districts – Reasi, Kathua and Udhampur – under his tenure have been among the lowest by any Deputy Commissioners in any district.
IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan and Itrit Hussain Rafiqui, both former district magistrates of Kupwara, were arrested in March 2020 by the CBI, which had taken over the probe into the gun licence racket from J&K police in 2018. According to the police FIR, the deputy commissioners of various Jammu and Kashmir districts, between 2012 and 2016, “fraudulently and illegally issued bulk arms licenses in lieu of monetary consideration”.
The gun licence racket had been unearthed by the Rajasthan Police in 2017-18. The J&K police found that thousands of licences had been issued by authorities in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir in a fraudulent manner. It also found that many of the people who received the licences had criminal records.
The then Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, N N Vora, handed over the probe to CBI. On July 12, 2018, the Governor revoked individual gun licences issued between January 2017 and February 2018.
CBI registered two cases on the request of Jammu and Kashmir government and further notification from Government of India, and took over the investigation of FIR No. 18 of 2018 dated May 17, 2018 earlier registered at Police Station Vigilance Organisation Kashmir (VOK) and FIR No. 11 of 2018 dated 17.05.2018 of Police Station Vigilance Organisation Jammu (VOJ) on the allegations of bulk issuance of arms licenses in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir during the period 2012 to 2016.
It was alleged that more than 2.78 lakh arms licences were issued to the non-entitled persons. CBI also collected documents pertaining to the issuance of said armed licences allegedly spread over 22 districts of J&K.
UNI ABS SHK2004