Nine J-K men employed as guards held for possessing arms, fake gun licenses in Maharashtra

Srinagar, Nov 18: Nine men from Jammu and Kashmir have been arrested after Southern Command's Military Intelligence in a joint operation with the Ahiliyanagar (earlier known Ahmednagar) police busted a fake arms licensing racket in Maharashtra, officials said.

They said, they seized nine rifles and 58 cartridges from the men, who they said were working as security guards in Ahilyanagar and Pune districts.

The operation was launched on Friday (November 15, 2024) based on inputs that some persons from Jammu and Kashmir were working as security guards in Ahilyanagar and nearby cities on the basis of false documents.

To verify the authenticity of these licences, a communication was initiated with the Rajouri collector’s office. It came to light that the licenses had not been distributed by their office and the said weapons licences were fake, an officer who is part of the probe told The Indian Express.

Officials said fake licences were being issued for ₹50,000 to those seeking jobs as security guards. It is believed to be a much larger racket, and an investigation is on into how the licences were obtained and also the supply chain of illegal sale of rifles.

The police said Sher Ahmed Ghulam Hasan from Kalakoth in Rajouri district was the main facilitator of the racket. He took ₹50,000 each to provide 12-bore rifles and fake licences to ensure the accused got jobs as security guards.

The nine persons who have been arrested were working as security guards in Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, Srigonda, and Sonai, The Hindu reported.

A case in this regard has been registered at Tofkhana police station. The arrested accused have been identified as Shabbir Mohammad Iqbal Hussain Gujjar (38), Mohammad Saleem alias Salem Gul Mohammad (32), Mohammad Safraj Nazir Hussain (24), Jehangir Zakir Hussain (28), Shahbaz Ahmed Nazir Hussain (33), Surjit Rameshchandra Singh, Abdul Rashid Chidia (38), Tufel Ahmed Mohammed Gazia and Sher Ahmed Ghulam Hussain.