41 places raided; 14 ex-public servants under lens
A week after he was relieved as advisor to LG Manoj Sinha, CBI today carried out a raid at the residence of Baseer Ahmad Khan in connection with the fake gun licence racket. While a total of 41 places were raided, at least 14 ex-public servants were under the scanner of the probe agency.
A team of CBI from New Delhi, accompanied by local police, carried out the raid at the house of Basheer Khan, a retired IAS officer, at Bulbul Bagh, Baghat, in Srinagar. The team was reported to have seized some documents for scrutiny, according to officials.
Baseer Khan, who remained advisor to former LG Girish Chandra Murmu and his successor Manoj Sinha from March 2020, was relieved after the CBI top brass informed the Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI, about his name figuring in the gun licence racket.
Subsequently, MHA relieved him from the post of advisor. The order said: “Pursuant to communication No 15030/40/2019-J&K dated October 4, 2021, of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Baseer Ahmad Khan is hereby relieved from the post of advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with immediate effect.”
The CBI carried out raids at about 41 locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh in the case.
The agency raided the premises of four IAS officers – Sajjad Ahmad Khan (retired), Baseer Ahmad Khan, M Raju and Prasanna Ramaswany G.
The CBI also raised the premises of J&K Administrative Service officers – Nisar Ahmad Wani, M S Mallik, Farooq Ahmad Khan and Bashir Ahamad Khan.
The agency also carried out raids at the premises of then District Information Officer, Sanjay Puri.
The raids were carried out in Srinagar, Anantnag, Banihal, Baramulla, Jammu, Doda, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Leh, Delhi and Bhind in Madhya Pradesh.
During searches, incriminating documents including issuance of arms licence, list of beneficiaries, documents related to investment in FDRs and other sale proceeds, property documents, bank account details, locker keys, diary comprising incriminating details, arms licence registers, electronic gadgets, mobile phones and some cash, including old currency, were recovered.
The agency had registered two cases on the request of then J&K government and following further notification from the Government of India.
The agency took over the investigation of two FIRs, registered on May 17, 2018 in J&K on the allegations of bulk issuance of arms licences in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir during the period 2012 to 2016.
It was alleged that more than 2.78 lakh arms licences were issued to non-entitled persons. The CBI also collected documents pertaining to the issuance of the said arms licences, allegedly spread over 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
During investigation and scrutiny of documents, the role of certain gun dealers had also come to light, who in connivance with the public servants, ie then District Magistrate and Additional District Magistrate of the concerned districts, had allegedly issued such illegal arms licences to ineligible persons.