Bengaluru, Oct 8 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the multi-crore KPSC recruitment scam has revealed that candidates who allegedly paid bribes for selection to veterinary officer posts were taken to resorts and Airbnb villas on the outskirts of Bengaluru a day before the examination and provided leaked question papers to memorise the correct answers.
The investigation has also found that certain KPSC members and officials allegedly exploited confidential information from the 1:3 merit list to identify candidates likely to secure selection and demand bribes from them.
The ED, Bengaluru, made the revelations in a statement on Thursday while detailing its investigation into the alleged cash-for-selection racket and proceeds of crime linked to the KPSC Veterinary Officers’ Recruitment Examination for 400 posts.
The agency said it had arrested suspended KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa Sahukar and KPSC Member B.V. Geetha while investigating the case based on FIRs registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
The arrests followed custodial interrogations and investigation into alleged paper leaks, malpractices and systemic corruption in KPSC recruitment.
The two were produced before the Special Court for PMLA cases (CCH-4) on October 7. The court granted 14 days of ED custody to the agency for further investigation.
According to the ED, 10 successful candidates were taken to a resort or Airbnb villa on the outskirts of Bengaluru one day before the examination. They were allegedly provided with a question paper containing the correct answer options for 80 questions and were made to practise and memorise them.
The ED investigation revealed that the question paper containing the correct answers was allegedly leaked by then KPSC Controller of Examinations and IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar through his close associate BJP leader Basavaraj Kannale. The leaked material was allegedly provided to the 10 candidates.
The agency further stated that BJP leader Kannale collected bribes ranging between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 50 lakh from each candidate in return for facilitating their final selection in the Veterinary Officers’ recruitment examination.
Based on the evidence collected during the investigation, Gangwar and Kannale were arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on September 18 and 17, respectively. The Special Court subsequently remanded them to ED custody for 14 days.
Following his ED custody, Gangwar was remanded to judicial custody by the Special Court for PMLA cases in Bengaluru. During his interrogation, he allegedly disclosed crucial information relating to irregularities in the conduct of various KPSC recruitment examinations, the ED said.
The agency said its investigation, based on material seized from a KPSC official and enquiries conducted with Gangwar, revealed that certain KPSC members and officials were allegedly exploiting the confidential 1:3 merit list to induce candidates to pay bribes by assuring them of their selection.
The ED explained that KPSC generally does not disclose individual candidates’ marks while publishing the 1:3 eligibility list. However, certain KPSC members and officials allegedly accessed confidential merit positions of candidates from the Controller of Examinations’ office and analysed their chances of securing final selection.
The officials allegedly misused the confidential information to approach candidates and assure them of selection in exchange for illegal gratification.
The investigation further revealed that, depending on the nature and level of the post, bribes ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh were allegedly demanded from candidates to assure their selection.
The ED said the confidential merit information available within KPSC was allegedly misused to extract illegal gratification, thereby generating proceeds of crime.
Earlier, searches and seizure operations conducted by the ED had resulted in the seizure of blank signed cheques amounting to Rs 80 lakh, along with blank signed promissory notes, from one of the successful candidates.
The ED said its investigation into the alleged recruitment irregularities, paper leaks, bribery and generation of proceeds of crime is continuing.
–IANS
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