CBI raids 22 locations, top IAS officer’s Srinagar house in J&K gun license case

Srinagar/ July,24 : The CBI  Saturday morning raided 22 locations in Srinagar including the residence of top IAS officer Shahid Iqbal Choudhary a former Deputy Commissioner Srinagar and the incumbent Administrative Secretary J&K Tribal Affairs Department, in connection with the illegal sale of gun licenses.  Choudhury is presently Administrative Secretary J&K Tribal Affairs Department and CEO Mission Youth, J&K. He previously served as the Deputy Commissioner of Kathua, Reasi, Rajouriand and Udhampur districts, during which time he allegedly issued thousands of licenses – under fake names – to people in other states and UTs. At least eight former Deputy Commissioners are 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 two officials, including 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 licences. In February last year the agency 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. The then J&K government, however, protected the accused under the guise of a vigilance probe. The case was handed over to CBI by former Governor of ersthwhile J&K State N N Vohra,.