Candidates allegedly paid tens of lakhs of rupees for favourable selection in the Karnataka Public Service Commission’s Veterinary Officers recruitment examination and were then made to sign over blank cheques and promissory notes to secure the unpaid balance, according to the Enforcement Directorate.
Multiple FIRs were registered at Vidhana Soudha police station in Bengaluru under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to cheating, forgery and use of forged documents. The agency is investigating alleged manipulation of the KPSC examination for 400 Veterinary Officers posts. The ED arrested Kannale on September 17 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He was subsequently produced before the special PMLA court, which granted the agency 14 days’ custody. Gangwar was arrested a day later, on September 18. He was produced before the special PMLA court on September 21 and was also remanded to 14 days of ED custody.
The ED alleged that he had used his official position to facilitate the leakage of the examination paper to Kannale one day before the scheduled examination in return for illegal gratification.
Part of the money was collected in advance through cash and bank transfers, while blank signed cheques and promissory notes were obtained from some candidates for the remaining amounts. The agency, in an account of its investigation released on Wednesday, said the amount initially demanded from candidates was around ₹ 80 lakh but was later negotiated to between ₹ 30 lakh and ₹ 40 lakh each. The investigation has centred on Basavaraj Kannale and Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, who was the KPSC Controller of Examinations when the alleged paper leak took place.
The ED said some of those documents were recovered during searches and seized as part of its investigation. Kannale and his associates allegedly arranged for candidates to receive a leaked question paper containing the correct answers in return for illegal gratification, according to the ED. The agency said Kannale obtained access to the paper through Gangwar, who was responsible for the custody and supervision of confidential examination material.
