Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has granted sanction to prosecute two Delhi Police personnel—Head Constable Rakesh Sharma and Constable Khushi Ram—in an embezzlement case involving the fraudulent collection of arms licence renewal fees.
The sanction, approved under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, paves the way for legal proceedings against the two officials, named in FIR No. 105/2018 registered at the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) police station.
According to the FIR and the subsequent investigation, between September 2016 and February 2018, cash was allegedly collected using fake, non-system-generated receipts at various licensing counters—primarily for arms licence renewals. These payments were not deposited into official government accounts, resulting in a loss to the public exchequer.
An internal inquiry by the Licensing Unit of the Delhi Police highlighted several discrepancies in the collection and deposit of fees for various categories, including CPLs, guest houses, eating houses, and press entities. Investigators also found that related files had been deleted from official computers, with key documents missing from records.
Arms Licence Fee Case: Key Suspects and Modus Operandi
Investigations revealed that most of the forged receipts were issued at Arms Licence Renewal Counter No. 2, manned by Head Constable Rakesh Sharma between March 2017 and February 2018. Sharma is suspected of colluding with Constable Khushi Ram, who was serving as a cashier during the period.
Findings from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and a charge sheet filed by the EOW confirmed that the fake receipts were printed using the same hardware and format as the official ones, effectively bypassing the authorised cash software system.
The Home Department of the Delhi Government concurred with the investigation findings, stating that there was a clear conspiracy between the two officials to generate and issue counterfeit receipts.
Apart from granting prosecution sanction under the CrPC, the LG has also directed the Home Department to revisit the pending request from Delhi Police seeking prosecution under Section 140 of the Delhi Police Act, 1978. Disciplinary proceedings against the two officials are also under consideration, subject to the outcome of the court case.
