Srinagar, March 2: A day after the arrest of two IAS officers -- both formerly posted as District Magistrates of Kupwara -- were sent to 10 days of CBI custody on Monday for their alleged involvement in irregularities in issuance of arms licenses. Both Rajiv Ranjan and Itrit Hussain Rafiqi had served as District Magistrate for Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir from 2013-2015 and from 2015-2016 respectively.

Informing more about the latest update, a CBI spokesperson said, as quoted by India Today, "It is alleged that during the period 2012 to 2016, the Dy Commissioners of various districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including District Kupwara, had fraudulently and illegally issued bulk arms licenses in lieu of monetary consideration." Jammu & Kashmir: 157 Terrorists Killed, 138 Infiltration Cases in Year 2019, Says MoS Defence Shripad Naik in Parliament.

Earlier on Sunday, the Central Bureau of Investigation had arrested both the senior IAS officers in connection with an illegal arms license distribution scandal in the Jammu & Kashmir state. Apart from this the CBI had also arrested Rahul Grover in connection with the scandal. CBI suspect that Grover was allegedly working as a conduit of gun dealers.

Following the arrest of Grover, it was found out that both the then-district magistrates of Kupwara had alleged role in the illegal arms license distribution scandal. They were accused in various financial transactions.

It is to be known that the case first came to sight in 2017, when Rajasthan ATS arrested over 50 persons for their alleged involved in the illegal issuance of arms licences. That time, the Rajasthan ATS said that over 3,000 permits were granted allegedly in the name of Army personnel. Later, then Jammu and Kashmir Governor handed over the matter to CBI.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2020 11:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).