Two ADCs, judicial clerk issue over 1,700 fake gun licences

Investigations into the case were started by Jammu Police nearly six months back after a tip-off from Delhi police about the large number licences being issued from Jammu to outsiders with suspect record.

Besides Sarajdin Wani and Mohammad Yousuf Beg, ADCs in Jammu between 1994 and 1996, Sukhjit Singh Rana, a judicial clerk working in DC office Jammu, Joginder Kumar Mehra of JK Arms, Jammu, and Rakesh Singh, hailing from MP, have been found involved in the racket in which thousands of rupees are believed to have changed hands between these individuals at various levels.

Investigations by the Crime Branch, which have been corroborated by forensic reports, reveal that Rana was the kingpin of the nexus and licences were issued without proper verification, on forged signatures, and for all India validity. In many cases, three licences were issued on the same number.

In at least seventy per cent of the cases there was neither photograph nor correct address of the person to whom the licence had been issued. The Arms Register was also incomplete and Mehra, who owns a gun shop in Jammu, had complete access to the register and many of the entries in the register bear his handwriting.

Talking of the modus operandi, a police officials said that Rakesh Singh, who had contacts both within and outside the state, brought licence-seekers to Mehra, who, while demanding nearly Rs 5,000 for the licence, made it a pre-condition that the gun would have to be purchased by the licensee from his shop.

According to police officials, Rana, working as judicial clerk in the DC office, willingly obliged Mehra and often passed on the arms register to him. Part of the money that Rana charged for issuing licences was also allegedly passed on to Wani and Beg, they said. The Crime Branch is now seeking permission of the state government for prosecuting the three officials. While Beg is now Special Secretary, Industry, Wani has retired.

Forensic examination of the records seized by Crime Branch has revealed that many licences, for which even basic procedures had been given a go-by, were signed by Wani and Beg. Signatures of another ADC – Ganga Dar Bhagat – were forged by Rana and Mehra.

Rules require that permission of State Home Department has to be obtained before a licence is issued but in most cases this was not done. Police, however, have seized some letters of the Home Department in which collective approvals have been given and are still looking for supporting record in the department.

Most of the licences, officials said, have been issued without police verification which is mandatory under the rules. Rana, they said, had misappropriated even the licence fee of Rs 20 per head that was to be deposited in the government treasury.

According to investigations done by team led by S R Dutta, SP, over 3,000 licences were issued by the Jammu DC’s office between 1994 and 1996 and 1,767 of these have now been established as fake. Among the persons issued licences is a son of Rajya Sabha MP. Police have registered cases against the five accused under RPC sections dealing with forgery, attempts to destroy evidence, mutual conspiracy, embezzlement, bribe and misuse of official position.

The matter about large number of gun licences being issued in Jammu came to light last year when Delhi Police found some criminals possessing valid licences. Their interrogation led to the revelation about underworld men acquiring licences from Jammu. Following an alert by the Delhi Police, the Jammu and Kashmir Police launched investigations and registered an FIR about six months back.