Recruitment scam: ED conducts searches at 11 places

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has carried out search operations at 11 locations in Bengaluru, across Karnataka, and in Punjab’s Patiala in connection with the Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scam of 2021.

The raid led to the discovery and seizure of various incriminating records and electronic gadgets.

The Karnataka Police Recruitment Cell had conducted examination for filling up 545 vacancies of Police Sub-Inspector in 2021.

After the results were out, there were allegations of cheating, corrupt practices in the said examination, following which the government of Karnataka ordered investigation into the matter.

After conducting probe, various FIRs were registered against candidates, middlemen and police officers involved in the irregularities.

The FIRs were later on transferred to CID for investigation. The CID, Bengaluru had conducted searches at various premises and arrested Paul and around 100 other in the case.

During the CID investigation, it was observed that there was tampering of OMR sheet in the strong room of the Recruitment Cell at CID headquarters, Carlton House, Bengaluru.

Police officers, in-charge of strong room of recruitment cell, switched off the CCTV camera at the strong room, two armed head constables entered the strong room and tampered with the OMR sheet.

Further, police officials collected money from candidates for facilitating their selection using illegal means.

Based on the FIRs, ED registered a case of PMLA and started the investigation.