Srinagar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Saturday raided 41 locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh including the residence of Baseer Khan, former Advisor to JK LG Manoj Sinha, in the infamous gun licensing scam. Officials sources said that a team of senior CBI officers raided the house of Khan Tuesday morning at Baghat in Srinagar.
According to CBI, raids were conducted at 41 locations including at Srinagar, Anantnag, Banihal, Baramulla, Jammu, Doda, Rajouri, Kishtwar (Jammu & Kashmir), Leh, Delhi and Bhind (Madhya Pradesh).
The raids were conducted at the official and residential premises of around 14 former public servants including then-District Magistrates (IAS/KAS), DIO, Clerks, five private persons (middlemen/agents) around 10 gun houses/dealers in an ongoing investigation of a case related to Arms licence racket, the CBI said in a statement.
The CBI said that during searches incriminating documents including the issuance of arms licenses, list of beneficiaries, documents related to investment in FDRs & other sale proceeds, property documents, bank account details, locker keys, diary comprising incriminating details, arms license registers, electronic gadgets/mobile phones and some cash including old currency were recovered.
The gun licensing scam rocked Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2017 and the case was handed over to the CBI branch of Chandigarh. The agency arrested IAS officer Kumar Rajiv Ranjan, who was DC Kupwara, and named several IAS officers including Yasha Mudgal, Itrat Hussain, and several others.
The case pertains to a gun licence racket unearthed by Rajasthan Police in 2017-18 where it was found that thousands of gun licences had been issued by competent authorities in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir in a fraudulent manner. According to Rajasthan ATS officials, 1,32,321 of the 1,43,013 licences in Jammu region’s Doda, Ramban and Udhampur districts were issued to those residing outside the state.
A total of 4,29,301 licenses were issued of which just 10 percent were issued to residents of the erstwhile JK state.
Also read: NIA conducts searches at 16 locations in Kashmir valley
