NEW DLEHI: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested the suspended chairman of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), Shivashankarappa S Sahukar, and the commission’s member B V Geetha in connection with its money laundering case linked to severe alleged irregularities in the final selection of the veterinary officers’ recruitment exam in Karnataka, officials said on Wednesday.
Bengaluru zonal office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested them following a fresh search operation conducted at their flats, they said. Both Sahukar and Geetha will be produced before a special PMLA court today.
The move comes days after the agency arrested one Basavaraj Kannale on September 17 and KPSC’s then Examination Controller IAS Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar on September 18 for their alleged roles in leaking the question paper of the veterinary officers’ recruitment exam in exchange for illegal bribes ranging from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for each candidate. Both have been remanded to 14 days of ED custody by the Special PMLA Court, as per the ED.
ED Takes Former KPSC Chairman, Member into Custody in Recruitment Scam Probe
Bengaluru
The Enforcement Directorate (#ED) has taken suspended former #Karnataka Public Service Commission (#KPSC) chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar and commission member B.V. Geetha into custody in connection with the alleged KPSC recruitment scam.
The two were apprehended late on Tuesday night following searches conducted by the central agency. They were subsequently produced before a special court, which granted the ED one-day custody for further investigation.
Officials said both Sahukar and Geetha are scheduled to be produced before the special court again on Wednesday afternoon, when the agency is expected to seek extended custody to facilitate sustained interrogation.
The ED’s action is based on multiple FIRs registered by the state police alleging widespread irregularities in KPSC recruitment examinations, including question paper leaks and tampering of OMR answer sheets. The probe covers several recruitment processes, including the selection of veterinary officers.
Investigators suspect that large sums of money were allegedly collected from candidates and routed through illegal channels to secure appointments for ineligible aspirants. The agency is examining the alleged money trail and the role of individuals involved in the recruitment process.
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On August 18, the ED had also conducted searches at 21 places across Karnataka and Gujarat in connection with the case. These 21 premises were spread across Bengaluru, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Raichur, Karwar, Kalaburgi, Belagavi, and Bengaluru, and in Ahmedabad.
The search operation then covered premises, including KPSC office premises, the residence of suspended KPSC Chairman Sahukar, Shanta Hosmani, KPSC Member, Middlemen, and the office premises of Edutest Solutions Pvt Ltd (entity responsible for digital evaluation of exam papers), and the candidates who were selected for the post of Veterinary Officers.
The ED said it initiated an investigation in the case following four First Information Reports (FIRs) registered with the Vidhana Soudha Police Station in Bengaluru, alleging severe irregularities in the final selection of veterinary officers’ recruitment exam.
As per the agency, some middlemen called the candidates, including the complainant, and demanded bribe money ranging from Rs 70 lakhs to Rs 80 lakhs, per candidate, for their selection. To support their claim, ED said the complainant has submitted a few audio recordings of these middlemen to the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).
Further, officials in the agency said that allegations of paper leakage, OMR Answer sheet tampering, and facilitating the final selection of the relatives of the KPSC officials are also part of the complaints filed before the LEAs. (ANI)
