Agency seeks confiscation of attached properties
*Addl complaints to be filed during investigations
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 9: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Jammu has filed prosecution complaint in Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court here involving an IAS officer, a former Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) officer, judicial clerks and prominent arms dealers in the case of money laundering in issuance of indiscriminate number of arms licenses in erstwhile State of J&K.
“The Enforcement Directorate Jammu has filed prosecution complaint under Sections 44 and 45 of PMLA against the accused before the PMLA Court Jammu with prayer for taking congnizance of the offence of money laundering under Section 3 read with 4 of PMLA and for confiscation of attached properties of accused persons under Section 8 (5) PMLA 2002,” the officials said.
The accused include Rajiv Ranjan, IAS, then Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Itrat Hussain Rafiqui, ex-JKAS, then DC Kupwara, Gajan Singh, then Judicial Clerk at DC office Kupwara, Tariq Ather Beigh, then clerk in Arms section at DC office Kupwara, Rahul Grover, Zumurad Hussain Shah, Syed Adeel Hussain Shah, Syed Akeel Shah, Abid Hussain Shah, Madan Mohan Bhargav, Mukesh Bhargav, Devi Dayal Khajuria, Gagangpreet Singh and Kumar Jyoti Ranjan, arms dealers and others.
They have been changed by the Enforcement Directorate in the case of money laundering for issuance of indiscriminate number of arms licenses in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
The ED had issued provisional attachment for Rs 4.69 crore which was confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority PMLA on September 16, 2022. In this case, the ED conducted searches on March 24, 2022 wherein seizures were made.
“The prosecution complaint was filed against them before PMLA Court Jammu as ECIR was registered by the Enforcement Directorate in March 2020 on the basis of First Information Report (FIR) of Special Crime branch of CBI SCB Chandigarh,” the officials said.
They added that further investigations under PMLA in the case are under process and additional prosecution complaints will be filed.
As per the officials, more accused are involved in the case and supplementary prosecution complains will be filed in the case before the PMLA court once the investigations are completed.
The arms license scam having roots in Rajasthan was first detected in that State and subsequently it was detected that it was spread in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir with some of them Deputy Commissioners, judicial clerks and arms dealers involved.
“Thousands of fake gun licenses had been issued from various districts of Jammu and Kashmir, even in Ladakh which was a division of undivided J&K and is now a Union Territory,” sources said, adding a former DC posted in Ladakh is also being investigated.
The main gun license racket is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigations.
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