Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 18: The Crime Branch has seized 80 gun licenses, which appeared to be fake and fabricated bearing signatures and stamps of former Deputy Commissioners of Doda, and started investigations to identify the persons responsible for issuing them after reportedly charging hefty sum from them.
The fake licenses appeared to have landed into the hands of some civilians, who sent it to the IGP Crime Branch, Jammu and Kashmir through courier company DTDC on the name of one M K Raina, a resident of House No. 126/3, Chinore, Bantalab.
On the directions of the IGP Crime Branch, the investigating agency has registered a First Information Report No. 38/2013 under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 120-B RPC read with Section 5(2) Prevention of Corruption Act against officers/officials of former District Magistrate of Doda for preparation of fake and fabricated fun licenses in gross violation of norms and procedure.
SSP Crime Branch, Jammu, Nissar Ahmad has been entrusted with investigations of the case.
Official sources said the courier received by the Crime Branch contained 80 gun licenses and gun licenses register in Form-III showing details of the persons to whom gun licenses had either been issued or were yet to be issued under the seal and signatures of former District Magistrates of Doda.
“It was also found that some of the pages in the register and the licenses carried no other details except signatures and seal of the former District Magistrate, Doda, which prima facie appeared to be fake and fabricated,” sources said.
Meanwhile, incumbent Deputy Commissioner, Doda Mubarak Singh said that he hasn’t issued even a single gun license during his tenure as the District Magistrate, Doda. His clarification came in response to the Crime Branch handout, which said that officers and officials of the office of the District Magistrate Doda have been booked for preparation of fake/fabricated gun licenses in gross violation of norms and procedures.
The Crime Branch, however, later said that the signature and stamps of the former Deputy Commissioners of Doda on the fake and fabricated gun licenses would be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to match them if any of the former DM of Doda had issued them or their signatures and stamps on the licenses were forged.
Sources said the huge racket of fake/fabricated gun licenses might have been operating previously from the office of DC Doda from where the licenses could have been issued to confer undue benefits and favour upon certain persons.
Sources said the Crime Branch was trying to ascertain the venue from where the courier had been sent and the person who got fake/fabricated licenses. “The dispatcher of licenses, if identified, could prove useful in investigations,” they added.
They said the Crime Branch would take signatures of former DCs of Doda and their staff to match with the signatures on gun licenses with the help of FSL.
Sources said out of 80 fake gun licenses, most of them had been filled on the name of ex-servicemen.
It may be mentioned here that various rackets of fake gun licenses have been operating in Jammu and Kashmir. Several such rackets have been unearthed earlier by various investigating agencies.
Follow our WhatsApp channel