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SRINAGAR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint (PC) against 21 accused, including an IAS officer, in a case related to the illegal issuance of a large number of arms licenses in Jammu and Kashmir.
The PC was filed under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, at a special PMLA court in Jammu. The accused include then Arms License Authorities (DM/ADMs) – Rajeev Ranjan (IAS) and Itrat Hussain Rafiqui, judicial clerks, other officials of office of Deputy Magistrate, Kupwara, and gun house dealers/agents/middlemen including Rahul Grover, Syed Addel Hussain Shah, and Syed Akeel Shah, the agency said in a statement.
ED initiated the investigation based on several FIRs registered by the anti-terrorist squad/special operations group of Rajasthan Police, and CBI (Chandigarh) under various sections of the IPC and Arms Act.
Investigation revealed that during the relevant period, the then DM/ADMs, judicial clerks and other officials of the DM office Kupwara, in connivance with gun house dealers and agents, conspired together and issued/renewed a large number of arms licenses of ineligible applicants in lieu of monetary gain while flouting various norms and procedures of the Arms Act, the ED statement said.
The statement added that the accused were found in the acquisition and possession of proceeds of crime generated out of criminal activities related to the offences.
Earlier, ED had issued a provisional attachment order attaching movable and immovable properties of the accused worth Rs 4.69 crore. The agency had also seized cash worth Rs 1.58 crore and gold during searches.
The PC was filed under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, at a special PMLA court in Jammu. The accused include then Arms License Authorities (DM/ADMs) – Rajeev Ranjan (IAS) and Itrat Hussain Rafiqui, judicial clerks, other officials of office of Deputy Magistrate, Kupwara, and gun house dealers/agents/middlemen including Rahul Grover, Syed Addel Hussain Shah, and Syed Akeel Shah, the agency said in a statement.
ED initiated the investigation based on several FIRs registered by the anti-terrorist squad/special operations group of Rajasthan Police, and CBI (Chandigarh) under various sections of the IPC and Arms Act.
Investigation revealed that during the relevant period, the then DM/ADMs, judicial clerks and other officials of the DM office Kupwara, in connivance with gun house dealers and agents, conspired together and issued/renewed a large number of arms licenses of ineligible applicants in lieu of monetary gain while flouting various norms and procedures of the Arms Act, the ED statement said.
The statement added that the accused were found in the acquisition and possession of proceeds of crime generated out of criminal activities related to the offences.
Earlier, ED had issued a provisional attachment order attaching movable and immovable properties of the accused worth Rs 4.69 crore. The agency had also seized cash worth Rs 1.58 crore and gold during searches.
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