2 former Kupwara DMs arrested in arms licence case

NEWDELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two former district magistrates of Kupwara — Rajiv Ranjan, an IAS officer, and Itrit Hussain Rafiqui, a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service official — in connection with issuance of a large number of arms licences on the basis of forged documents, officials said on Sunday. The agency has taken the two officers into its custody.

NEWDELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two former district magistrates of Kupwara -- Rajiv Ranjan, an Indian Administrative Service official, and Itrit Hussain Rafiqui, a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service official -in connection with issuance of a large number of arms licences on the basis of forged documents, officials said on Sunday.

“During investigation, the alleged role of Itrit Hussain Rafiqui and Rajiv Ranjan, IAS, both posted as district magistrates of Kupwara, surfaced during their tenure from 2013-15 and 2015-16, respectively,” said a CBI statement. The agency has taken the two officers into its custody, a CBI spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Last December, the CBI conducted raids on the premises of several then deputy commissioners and district magistrates of Kupwara, Baramulla, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Shopian, Rajouri, Doda and Pulwama after registering two cases related to alleged irregularities in the issuance of around two lakh arms licences across Jammu and Kashmir.

It was also alleged that the then government officials received illegal gratification for issuance of licences to non-residents of Jammu and Kashmir in violation of rules, said an official familiar with the developments.

The case was handed over to the CBI on the basis of a recommendation from Rajasthan Director General of Police, OP Galhotra, as the desert state’s anti-terror squad had busted a similar racket.