Srinagar, Feb 20, KNT: After filing a case against IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also booked his family members over allegations of amassing disproportionate assets beyond their legal income, unveiling a suspected network of corruption and misuse of power.

Ranjan, a 2010-batch IAS officer currently serving as Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department in Jammu and Kashmir, has been named in the First Information Report (FIR) registered on February 17. His family members, Kirpa Shankar Roy and Dulari Devi, along with some unidentified persons, are also under investigation.

Notably, the CBI yesterday conducted searches at seven locations, including Ranjan’s office in Jammu, and properties linked to him in Varanasi, Srinagar, and Gurugram, as part of the probe.

Previously, Ranjan served as Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kupwara and was already under scrutiny for his alleged involvement in the Jammu and Kashmir arms licence scam.

Between 2012 and 2016, over 2.78 lakh arms licences were reportedly issued illegally to ineligible persons in exchange for bribes. Authorities estimate the scale of the scam to be over Rs 100 crore.

The CBI has been investigating the scandal since 2019, uncovering evidence that district magistrates, deputy commissioners, and licensing authorities allegedly abused their power for financial gains.

In November last year, the central government approved the prosecution of Ranjan, alongside seven other IAS officers who held crucial administrative posts in Jammu and Kashmir during the period in question.

The latest action against Ranjan and his family sheds light on the depth of corruption within bureaucratic circles and raises fresh concerns over governance and accountability. (KNT)