The CBI on Saturday raided 40 locations including the residence of Jammu and Kashmir IAS officer Shahid Iqbal Choudhary in Srinagar in connection with the gun license case. The agency has not yet given details about these raids but said that the move was taken as part of a case registered in 2019. It is alleged that between 2012 and 2016 the commissioners of different districts of Jammu and Kashmir issued arms licenses illegally and fraudulently in the greed of money.
Choudhary is a 2009 batch IAS officer and is currently posted as Administrative Secretary, Department of Tribal Affairs, Jammu and Kashmir. He has served as the Commissioner of Kathua, Reasi, Rajouri and Udhampur districts. It is alleged that during this time he issued thousands of licenses in fake names to the people of other states and union territories. According to the report, more than 2 lakh gun licenses have been issued illegally in Jammu and Kashmir since 2012. It is said to be India's biggest gun license racket.
Last year, two officers, including IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan, were arrested by the CBI in this case. Ranjan and Itrat Hussain Rafiqui allegedly issued several illegal licenses during their tenure as the commissioner of the Kupwara district. In 2020, a person was arrested in this case, who was involved in various financial transactions along with other co-accused including public servants.
Rajasthan ATS had exposed the scam in 2017 and arrested more than 50 accused. According to the ATS, over 3,000 permits were allegedly given in the name of Army personnel. After this, the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir NN Vohra handed over the investigation in the case to the CBI.
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