Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 1.22 crore belonging to three top former officials of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) in a case related to irregularities in the recruitment exam for the post of veterinary officer, an official said on Saturday.
The ED’s Bengaluru Zonal Office attached the properties under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in the case of KPSC recruitment scam.
The Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) dated November 13 was issued under Section 5(1) of the PMLA, 2002.
“The provisionally attached assets comprise immovable properties and movable properties belonging to Shivashankarappa Sahukar, the then Chairman of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC); Geetha B.V. Shivamurthy, KPSC member; and Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, IAS officer and the then Controller of Examinations (CoE) of KPSC,” the ED said.
Earlier, the ED conducted searches under Section 17 of the PMLA, 2002, at multiple premises, including the KPSC office, and arrested Basavaraj Kannale on September 17, Gangwar on September 18, and Shivashankarappa Sahukar and Geetha B.V. Shivamurthy on October 6, under Section 19 of the PMLA, 2002, the statement said.
The investigation by the central probe agency was initiated on the basis of multiple FIRs registered by the Vidhana Soudha Police Station in Bengaluru for offences under Sections 318(3), 318(4), 336(2), 336(3) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, relating to the irregularities in the recruitment exam for the Veterinary Officer post in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, the ED added.
Investigation has revealed that the then Chairman, a Member and the then CoE of the KPSC, in conspiracy with Basavaraj Kannale and others, abused their official positions and induced candidates to pay illegal gratification in exchange for assured selection, the ED said.
“The irregularities included leakage of question papers with the correct answers marked; leakage of candidate-specific correct answer keys and misuse of confidential marks at the stage of the 1:3 eligibility list,” the ED added.
“Investigation revealed that Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, the then CoE, leaked the question papers, with the correct answers, to his close aide Basavaraj Kannale on January 7, 2026,” the ED said.
“Basavaraj Kannale circulated them among 10 candidates at villas on the outskirts of Bengaluru on January 8, a day before the examination, and demanded illegal gratification ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh, of which a part amount was received as advance, and the remaining amount secured through blank signed cheques and promissory notes, from the candidates,” the central probe agency added.
The OMR answer sheets of these candidates matched the initial answer key published by the KPSC, including answers later found to be incorrect in the revised answer key, the ED said.
“The illegal gratification so derived was collected in cash and also through the bank accounts of Om Lakshmi Souharda Sahakari Sangha Niyamita, Bhalki (Bidar), and other third parties, and were disguised through entries in bogus savings accounts,” the ED said.
Out of the proceeds of crime, gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs 52.30 lakh was purchased in the name of a third person for the benefit of Gangwar, with payments routed through third parties’ accounts, the ED added.
The air travel expenses of Gangwar, his family members and friends, amounting to Rs 13.31 lakh, were also met by Basavaraj Kannale through third-party accounts, the ED said.
–IANS–
