ED raids 21 locations in veterinary officer recruitment scam probe in Karnataka
New Delhi, August 18: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided 21 locations in connection with alleged irregularities and money laundering in the recruitment of veterinary officers conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC). The raids included KPSC offices, the residence of suspended chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, KPSC member Shanta Hosamani, alleged middlemen, a company involved in the digital evaluation process of the exam, and the premises of selected candidates.
The raids, carried out by the ED’s Bengaluru zonal office, were conducted at various locations in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Raichur, Karwar, Kalaburagi, and Belagavi, as well as Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The searches also included the premises of candidates involved in the final selection process for the veterinary officers recruitment exam.
Four FIRs have been registered in the case at the Vidhana Soudha police station in Bengaluru. The complaints allege serious irregularities in the final selection process for the veterinary officers’ recruitment exam. It is alleged that some middlemen contacted candidates and demanded bribes ranging from ₹70 to ₹80 lakh per candidate in exchange for selection.
The complainant has also submitted audio recordings of conversations with these middlemen to the investigating agency. The case also alleges question paper leaks, alleged tampering of OMR answer sheets, and alleged favoritism of relatives of KPSC officials in the final selection process.
According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the search operation aims to gather further information about the alleged financial transactions and the individuals and entities involved. Documents and other evidence recovered during the operation are being examined.
In addition to the KPSC case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also searched approximately eight premises in Kozhikode, Kerala. These searches are said to be a follow-up to the action taken in May in the CMRL Group case.
According to the ED, during the May 27th search of the CMRL Group, new evidence related to the former Chief Minister’s daughter, Veena, was uncovered. The investigating agency received information regarding alleged financial transactions. The search now targets individuals and premises associated with those individuals who are believed to be involved in the alleged financial transactions.
The ED is examining the documents, digital and other evidence uncovered so far in both operations. Further action in the case will be based on the findings of the investigation.
