The Enforcement Directorate has attached movable and immovable assets worth ₹1.22 crore belonging to three accused in an alleged Karnataka Public Service Commission recruitment scam, intensifying action in a case involving examination manipulation and suspected bribe payments.
The attached properties belong to suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, former commission member B.V. Geetha and IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, the agency said on Saturday. The attachment has been made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act as part of the ongoing investigation.
The money-laundering probe stems from multiple FIRs registered by Karnataka police over alleged irregularities in a KPSC examination held to recruit 400 veterinary officers. Gangwar was serving as the KPSC controller of examinations when the alleged irregularities took place, according to the ED.
The agency said Sahukar, Geetha, Gangwar and alleged middleman Basavaraj Kannale had been arrested in the case. The allegations concern the integrity of a public recruitment process in which examination results determine access to government employment and the staffing of public services.
According to the ED, Gangwar allegedly manipulated seating arrangements and examination charts to provide correct answers to 80 questions to six candidates. The agency said the candidates’ registration numbers were allegedly supplied by Geetha.
The ED further alleged that Sahukar had assured Gangwar that a candidate of his choice would receive favourable interview marks in a Karnataka Administrative Service examination. Investigators alleged that Sahukar collected ₹10 lakh from one candidate against an alleged deal worth ₹20 lakh, while Geetha allegedly received ₹20 lakh from another candidate against an agreement of ₹40 lakh.
The agency said suspected bribe money was routed through accounts at Om Lakshmi Souharda Sahakari Sangha Niyamita, a cooperative bank in Bhalki in Bidar district, as well as through third-party accounts. These transactions were allegedly disguised as savings-account deposits, according to the investigation.
The ED also alleged that Kannale arranged payments of ₹13.31 lakh towards air travel expenses for Gangwar, his family members and friends through third-party bank accounts. The agency’s asset attachment is intended to secure property linked to alleged proceeds of crime while the investigation continues.
The allegations have not been established by a court. The next steps in the case will depend on the continuing investigation and the legal proceedings arising from the FIRs and the ED’s action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
