According to the various news portals and reports, it was recorded that the CBI has raided 22 other locations in Jammu and Kashmir this morning, including the residence of senior J&K IAS officer Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, in connection with the illegal sale of gun license.
Choudhury is currently Secretary (Tribal Affairs) and CEO Mission Youth, J&K. He was previously under as the Deputy Commissioner of Kathua, Reasi, Rajouriand Udhampur districts, during which at that time he allegedly issued thousands of licenses – under fake names – to people in other states and Union Teritories.
Besides this at least eight former Deputy Commissioners were being investigated by the central agency.
Since 2012 over two lakh gun licenses have been issued illegally from J&K. It is believed to be India’s biggest gun license racket.
Last year as reported, there were two officials, which also inculded IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan, were arrested by the CBI. Mr Ranjan and Itrat Hussain Rafiqui, during their tenures as Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara district, allegedly illegally issued several such licenses.
During the last year in February the agency had arrested a private individual who was “involved in various financial transactions with other co-accused, including public servants”.
The CBI has previously said it has unearthed a “deep-rooted conspiracy” in this matter.
The scam was first discovered by Rajasthan’s Anti-Terror Squad in 2017, when they arrested Mr Ranjan’s brother and others working as middlemen for gun dealers.
Since the case was under J&K, so the case was handed over to CBI by former Governor NN Vohra, after he found the scam was being run J&K government officers.
