Srinagar, Mar 2 : Two IAS officers, both formerly posted as District Magistrates Kupwara, were arrested by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connect with illegal arms distribution scandal in J&K
Official sources on Monday said that CBI arrested Rajiv Ranjan and Itrit Hussain Rafiqi, who served as District Magistrate Kupwara from 2013-2015 and from 2015-2016 respectively.
The CBI had last week arrested one Rahul Grover in connection with the scandal. “Grover was allegedly working as a conduit of gun dealers and officials of various districts of Jammu & Kashmir,” they said.
They said the agency in December 2019 registered a case on the consent of Government of J&K and Central government. “It was alleged that during the period 2012 to 2016, the Deputy Commissioners of various districts of J&K including District Kupwara had fraudulently and illegally issued bulk arms licenses in lieu of monetary consideration,” they said.
They said the agency carried out raids at over a dozen locations in Srinagar, Jammu, Gurgaon and Noida at the premises of the then District collector/ Magistrates of Kupwara, Baramulla , Udhampur, Kishtwar, Sopian, Rajouri, Doda, Pulwama and several other places.
They said investigation revealed that around two lakh arms licences were given from different districts of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir by their respective district collectors/magistrates. “It is alleged that the arms licenses were issued in lieu of illegal gratification,” they said.
They said the then public servants in cahoots with other accused issued arms licences to non-residents of J&K in violation of rules and received illegal gratification.
The scandal was unearthed by Rajasthan ATS in 2017 by arresting over 50 people for their alleged involved in the illegal issuance of arms licences. Based on ATS findings, the then Jammu and Kashmir Governor had handed over the matter to CBI.
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