Bengaluru, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that candidates in the Karnataka Public Service Commission’s (KPSC) Veterinary Officer recruitment examination were taken to a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru and made to memorise answers from a leaked question paper ahead of the test.
The agency made the allegations in its latest statement on the probe into suspected irregularities in the recruitment examination for 400 Veterinary Officer posts, naming IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and BJP leader Basavaraj Kannale among the accused.
According to the ED, Gangwar, who was serving as KPSC Controller of Examinations, allegedly misused his position and facilitated the leakage of the examination question paper containing the correct answers to Kannale a day before the scheduled examination in return for illegal gratification.
The agency alleged that Kannale obtained access to the confidential examination material through his association with Gangwar and subsequently approached multiple candidates, promising to facilitate their selection.
The ED said around Rs 80 lakh was initially demanded from each candidate, with the amount later negotiated to between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 40 lakh. Portions of the alleged payments were collected in advance through cash and banking channels.
According to the agency, some candidates were also allegedly made to provide blank cheques and promissory notes to secure the remaining amounts. Some of these documents were later recovered and seized during searches.
The ED further alleged that the bank account of Om Lakshmi Sowkar Sahakari Sangha Niyamitha in Bidar was used to receive money linked to the alleged illegal gratification.
In what the agency described as another significant finding, selected candidates were allegedly taken to a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru, where they were provided with the leaked question paper containing the correct answers.
The candidates were allegedly made to memorise the answers under the supervision of Kannale and his associates before being transported to their respective examination centres on the day of the test in vehicles arranged by the group, the ED said.
The agency said Kannale was arrested on September 17 under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, based on material gathered during the investigation and reasons to believe that he was involved in activities connected with proceeds of crime.
He was produced before the Special Court for PMLA cases (CCH-4), which granted the ED 14 days’ custody on September 29.
Gangwar was arrested by the ED on September 18 for his alleged role in facilitating the generation of proceeds of crime arising from the scheduled criminal activity. He was produced before the Special Court on September 21, which also granted 14 days’ ED custody for further investigation.
The ED said material seized during searches conducted between September 18 and September 24 indicated that the alleged proceeds were subsequently layered and used through various channels.
These allegedly included bank transfers, purchases of gold jewellery, cash payments for travel and other cash transactions, which the agency said were intended to conceal the nature and source of the proceeds and project them as untainted property.
The ED said further investigation into the case is underway.
The allegations are part of the ongoing investigation and are subject to judicial proceedings.
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