The searches were conducted at the premises of then Deputy Commissioners or District Magistrates in Kupwara, Baramulla, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Shopian, Rajouri, Doda and Pulwama, the agency said. Multiple CBI teams carried out the raids at the residential premises of one former Deputy Commissioner and seven former District Magistrates deputed in different districts of Jammu & Kashmir for their alleged involvement in giving nod to the arms licences.
The raids were conducted at the residences of Rajeev Ranjan, a 2010-batch IAS and then Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara; Yasha Mudgil, a 2007-batch IAS and then District Magistrate Baramulla and Udhampur; Aitrat Hussain then District Magistrate of Kupwara; Saleem Mohd then District of Kishtwar; Mohd Jawed Khan then District Magistrate of Kishtwar and Shopian; F.C. Bhagat then District Magistrate of Rajouri; Farooq Ahmed Khan, then District Magistrate of Doda; and Jehangir Ahmed Mir, then District Magistrate Pulwama.
"It was also alleged that the then public servants in this conspiracy of issuance of licences to non-residents of J&K in violation of rules, allegedly received gratification," said Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson Nitin Wakankar.
The official said that it is the first major operation of the CBI after acquiring the original jurisdiction to act against corruption after reorganisation of the erstwhile state as Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
Earlier, the CBI did not have original jurisdiction to act in Jammu & Kashmir because of Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to J&K.
After the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 and the bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories Jammu & Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one the CBI got the power to conduct its operations there.
( With inputs from IANS )