New Delhi, 18 August (H.S.): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at 21 locations in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of veterinary officers conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) and a related money-laundering investigation. The premises searched included the KPSC office, the residence of suspended KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar, KPSC member Shanta Hosamani, alleged intermediaries, a company associated with the digital evaluation process of the examination and the premises of selected candidates.

The searches, conducted by the ED’s Bengaluru Zonal Office, covered several locations in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Raichur, Karwar, Kalaburagi and Belagavi, as well as Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The premises of candidates linked to the final selection in the veterinary officer recruitment examination were also covered under the search operation.

Four FIRs have been registered at the Vidhana Soudha Police Station in Bengaluru in connection with the case. The complaints allege serious irregularities in the final selection process for the veterinary officer recruitment examination. It has been alleged that certain intermediaries approached candidates and demanded bribes of up to Rs. 70-80 lakh per candidate in exchange for ensuring their selection.

The complainant also submitted audio recordings of conversations with some of the alleged intermediaries to the investigating agency. The allegations in the case include leakage of the question paper, alleged manipulation of OMR answer sheets and claims that relatives of KPSC officials were allegedly favoured in the final selection process.

According to the ED, the search operation was aimed at gathering further information about the alleged financial transactions involved in the case and the individuals and entities connected with them. Documents and other evidence recovered during the searches are being examined.

In addition to the KPSC-related case, the ED also conducted searches at around eight premises in Kozhikode, Kerala. The agency described these searches as a follow-up to the action carried out in May in connection with a case involving the CMRL group.

According to the ED, fresh evidence relating to Veena, the daughter of a former chief minister, had emerged during the searches conducted against the CMRL group on May 27. The agency had allegedly obtained information concerning certain financial transactions. Premises linked to individuals allegedly involved in those transactions have now been brought within the scope of the search operation.

The documents and digital and other evidence gathered in both ED operations are being examined. Further action in the cases will be taken based on the findings of the ongoing investigations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar