Srinagar, Mar 02 (KNS): Two former District Magistrates of north Kashmir’s Kupwara, including an IAS officer, were arrested on Sunday Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) for alleged involvement in the scam in issuing gun licences in the state for money, the CBI said.
Reports reaching to Kashmir News Service said during investigations conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation, "the alleged role of Itrit Hussain Rafiqui, a KAS officer and Rajiv Ranjan an IAS officer, both posted then District Magistrates Kupwara, J&K has been surfaced during their tenure as District Magistrates, Kupwara, J&K from the year 2013 to 2015 and from 2015 to 2016 respectively," an agency statement said.
The CBI had registered a case on May 17,2018 following an FIR registered at Police Station Vigilance Organisation Kashmir (VOK), on the allegations that during the period 2012 to 2016, then District Magistrates/Deputy
Commissioners of various districts of J&K were illegally issuing "bulk arms licenses in lieu of a monetary consideration". CBI said.
Only two days before, the ACB had booked Rafiqui in furnishing scam during his posting as the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara along with other officers. Ranjan is presently posted as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Metropolitan Regulatory Authority and Vice Chairman Jammu Development Authority (JDA) while Rafiqui has retired from the services.
These were the first arrests made by the CBI in high-profile fake arms licenses case which had initially been detected by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Rajasthan as some anti-social elements in that State were found using weapons based on arms licenses issued from different districts of Jammu and Kashmir. On the basis of investigations conducted by the ATS Rajasthan, the then Vigilance Organization of Jammu and Kashmir had registered a case which was later handed over to the CBI by the erstwhile State Government keeping in view alleged involvement of IAS and KAS officers during their posting as the District Magistrates in eight districts. (KNS).