The Students Federation of India activists accused of committing fraud in the civil police officer recruitment process had received scores of SMSs on their mobile phones while the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) examination was in progress, it has been found.
The discovery has prompted the PSC to examine the call details of the first 100 rank holders of all the seven exams for recruitment to police battalions conducted on the same day.
The messages
R. Sivarenjith, who stood first in the exam, received 96 SMSs from two numbers. P.P. Pranav, who got the second rank, received 78 text messages from three numbers between 2 p.m. and 3.15 p.m. during the exam hours, PSC Chairman M.K.Sakeer said here on Tuesday.
A.N. Nazeem, the third activist accused in the case, did not receive any on the two numbers he had given to the PSC. Whether Nazeem had used another mobile phone will be investigated, the PSC chairman said.
The call details were traced with the help of the cyberpolice. The PSC exam held on July 22, 2018 was part of the recruitment process to the KAP-4 Battalion. Sivarenjith and Nazeem are the prime accused in the recent University College stabbing case.
No advice memos
Meanwhile, the PSC has decided to extend the investigation to the seven examinations conducted on the same day - July 22, 2018 - for recruitment to police battalions. Advice memos will not be issued on these rank lists until the inquiry is completed, he said.
The internal probe conducted by the PSC has helped establish the credibility of the commission, Mr. Sakeer said, ruling out the possibility of a question paper leak.
The statements of 22 persons, including that of invigilators and candidates who sat for the exam, were noted as part of the inquiry. A report on the internal inquiry will be handed over to the police for investigation, he added.
At a meeting on Monday, the PSC recommended registration of criminal cases against Sivarenjith, Pranav, and Nazeem, who bagged the 28th rank. It was also decided to strike their names off the PSC list and bar them from appearing in future PSC selections.
The commission had decided to refer the case to the police for further investigation to facilitate the collection of evidence and to ascertain whether more people were involved, Mr. Sakeer said.