SRINAGAR: In a major operation, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday carried out searches at 17 places including premises of two senior IAS officers in Jammu and Kashmir related to an alleged gun-licencing racket unearthed by Rajasthan Police in 2017, officials said.
Giving details, the CBI officials said several documents related to the cases, including bank statements, were recovered during the searches that were carried out at three places in Kashmir, 11 places in Jammu and one each in Gurugram (Haryana), Mohali (Punjab) and Noida (Uttar Pradesh).
The CBI sleuths conducted raids at Srinagar, Jammu, Barmulla, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Shopian, Rajouri, Doda and Pulwama in an ongoing investigation of two cases related to allegations of issuance of around two lakh arms licences from different districts of J&K by their respective Deputy Commissioners.
CBI is probing licences that were issued in the last decade from districts of the militancy-hit region, officials said. It is alleged that the then public servants received illegal gratification in issuance of licences to non-residents of J&K in violation of rules, officials said.
Among the officials whose premises were raided are two senior IAS officers Yasha Mudgal and Kumar Rajeev Ranjan.
The residences of government officials Itrat Hussain, Mohammed Saleem, Mohammed Junaid Khan, FC Bhagat, Farooq Ahmed Khan and Jenhagir Ahmed Mir were also searched.A CBI official said incriminating documents, recovered during searches, are being scrutinised.
Letters unanswered
According to Rajasthan Police, the J&K govt was informed about the racket in 2017 and letters addressed to then Chief Secretary B B Vyas went unanswered. According to Rajasthan ATS officials, just 10 per cent of the arms licences issued in the state were to residents.