* Fake licenses issued from 5 distts of State
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 13: Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has busted a well knit inter-State racket having roots in Jammu and Kashmir, which was engaged in issuance of fake arms licenses to the people including the retired Army personnel after manipulating signatures and stamps of some of the District Magistrates.
A total of three racketeers including one from Sainik Colony, Jammu and two others from Punjab and Rajasthan have been arrested so far and a large number of fake arms licenses recovered from their possession so far.
Rahul Grover son of Mohan Lal Grover, a resident of Pretty Day Apartments, Sainik Colony, who was running a gun shop under the name of ‘Sharma Arms Company’ at Barnai Road near Bantalab, was among three persons arrested so far by the Rajasthan ATS in connection with fake arms license racket.
A joint team of Rajasthan ATS and Jammu City East Police today jointly conducted raid at ‘Sharma Arms Company’ at Barnai Road and seized some documents pertaining to issuance of arms licenses. Jammu Police team in the raid was led by SDPO East Arun Jamwal.
Rajasthan ATS has recovered fake arms licenses, which were purportedly issued from Baramulla and Kupwara districts of North Kashmir, Jammu, Ramban and Kathua districts of Jammu region, sources said, adding that fake stamps and signatures of the Magistrates seem to have been used by the racketeers to prepare the licenses.
“It has been discovered during investigations that fake licenses were being sold to people at the rate ranging between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. Some retired Army personnel have also become victims of the racketeers in obtaining licenses though they were not aware that the licenses were not genuine,’’ sources said.
Rajasthan ATS has lodged FIR No. 27/2017 at its Jaipur Headquarters in the case under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 474 and 120-B IPC and 3, 25 and 29 Arms Act, sources said, adding that some more arrests and raids were not ruled out.
Sources said Rajasthan ATS has so far recovered more than 100 arms licenses from raids at 12 locations in three States including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan
“Though no terror angle has emerged, this appears to be a major chink in a department where licenses are sold from anywhere between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh,’’ sources said, adding that Jammu Police has assured their Rajasthan counterparts of full support in the case.
The Operation was launched after Rajasthan ATS got inputs about the network involved in forging documents to show non-J&K resident beneficiaries as residents of the J&K, besides Army and Defence personnel posted in the Valley.
Sources said the racket was engaged in making arms licenses from Jammu and Kashmir with all India validity for customers spread across the country, particularly Northern and Central India.
“The racket operated in two parts – first by getting arms license from Jammu and Kashmir by showing the beneficiary as Army personnel and getting licenses made in backdate up to 2008 (as the provision of such arms licenses has been legal in J&K) by showing the beneficiary as resident of the terror hit State and second by arranging arms from Madhya Pradesh,’’ sources said.
*The beneficiary of the busted racket included all kinds of people, among them an Ajmer-based history-sheeter,’’ sources said.
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