Operation Zubeida: Rajasthan ATS busts arms licence racket originating from Jammu and Kashmir

Operation Zubeida: Rajasthan ATS busts arms licence racket originating from Jammu and Kashmir

The racket charged up to Rs 3 lakh per licence of “All India” validity for all kinds of firearms.

BHOPAL: A four-month-long secret exercise called ‘Operation Zubeida’ has led the Rajasthan Police anti-terror squad (ATS) to an inter-state racket engaged in making arms licences from Jammu and Kashmir for customers across the country.

Three men, all in their 30s, identified as Rahul (Jammu), Vishal (Fazilka-Punjab) and racket kingpin Juber Khan (Ajmer-Rajasthan) have been arrested by teams of Rajasthan ATS from their native states.

A team of Rajasthan ATS is now camping in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh to nab a licenced arms dealer, who is a close relative Juber. It was from the MP man’s shop that firearms were sourced for making arms licences.

According to Rajasthan ATS superintendent of police Vikas Kumar, the racket was engaged in creating arms licences from Jammu and Kashmir with “All India” validity for customers, particularly in northern and central India.

“At least 12 teams of Rajasthan ATS were working on the inter-state racket as part of Operation Zubeida (meaning high altitude, symbolising Jammu and Kashmir). The racket was cracked on Monday with the arrest of the three men from three states,” said Kumar.

The racket charged up to Rs 3 lakh per licence of “All India” validity for all kinds of firearms primarily purchased from the licenced weapon shop of Juber’s relative in Dewas district of MP.

The racket operated in multiple ways, including getting arms licence from Jammu and Kashmir by showing the buyers as army personnel and getting 2008 licences made (as the provision of such arms licences has been legal in J&K). The racketeers had showed the customers as residents of the terror-hit state.

Besides, they also forged documents to present non-J&K residents as living in the terror-hit state as well as army and defence personnel posted in the troubled Valley. They made J&K arms licences by using fake stamps and seals. “At least seven such counterfeit seals of J&K have been seized from the arrested trio, while over 100 arms licences have been recovered from them,” said Kumar.

The customers of the racket included an Ajmer-based history-sheeter also, the SP added.

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