Ex-Ferozepur ADC, 8 others get 3-yr jail in arms licence scam

CBI SCANNED 27,188 LICENCES ISSUED FROM SEPT 1998 TO FEB 2001; 15,000 FOUND ISSUED IN ‘DUBIOUS MANNER’

MOHALI : A CBI special court in Mohali on Thursday awarded three-year jail to nine persons, including the then Ferozepur additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Ram Gopal Sahota, in the scam involving issuing of fake arms licences.

Besides Sahota, those convicted are Jagtar Singh Arora, Vipin Kumar, Amar Lal Setia, Ravi Kumar Gakkar, who runs a photocopying shop, home guards volunteer Satpal, municipal councillor Sanjay Kumar Gupta, Dinesh Palta and Harbhajan Lal Pindi.

In 2000-01, the fake arms licence scandal came to the fore after the Haryana police arrested some hardcore criminals who had secured licences from Ferozepur under fictitious names and showing them as city residents.

The accused had issued arms licences to Haryana residents on the basis of fake ration and identity cards, medical reports.

CBI special judge Harjit Singh also imposed a fine of ₹96,000 on the convicts and acquitted councillor Ajay Kumar for lack of evidence against him.

Three accused named in the scam — Punjab policeman Balkar Singh, typist Trilok Singh and Vineet Dawra — had died during the trial.

The beneficiaries had reportedly paid ₹5,000-10,000 to the accused for getting arms licences. The Punjab and Haryana high court had ordered to transfer the case to the CBI.

A case was registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 465, 467,468,120-B of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI scanned 27,188 arms licences issued between September 1998 and February 2001. Around 15,000 licences were found to have been issued in a dubious manner.