The CBI on Tuesday raided residence of Baseer Ahmad Khan former advisor to J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
It came as a surprise as only a week ago Baseer Khan held an important position as advisor to LG Sinha. Now the reason behind this raid has come forth.
The raid was carried out in connection with the fake gun licences racket, in what is believed to be India’s biggest arms licence scam.
The agency also searched 40 locations (belonging to 25 people, including government servants and private individuals) across Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh.
Mr Khan earlier served as the District Magistrate of several J&K districts, during which time he allegedly issued thousands of fake gun licences. He was relieved of his position last week after the agency informed the Union Home Ministry that he is an accused in this case.
A former IAS officer, Mr Khan has also been charge-sheeted in the Gulmarg land scam case. However, despite facing serious charges he was allowed to continue as an advisor to the Lieutenant Governor.
In July the CBI (Central Burau of Investigation) said several district magistrates in Jammu and Kashmir, acting in collusion with arms dealers, had issued illegal gun licences going back as far as 2012.
The agency had then also searched the homes of two other senior government officials, including Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, who is presently Secretary of Tribal Affairs.
The arms licence racket was first unearthed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Rajasthan Police in 2017 after they found criminals with licensed weapons issued by J&K government officials.
The CBI has claimed a “deep-rooted conspiracy” in this matter.
While the former Peoples’ Democratic Party-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir has been accused of trying to shield the accused – under the garb of a vigilance probe – after the imposition of Governor’s Rule in 2018, then Governor NN Vohra handed over the case to CBI.