PSI recruitment scam: CID files second chargesheet

BENGALURU: Sleuths from Criminal Investigation Department probing the police sub-inspector recruitment scam submitted a preliminary chargesheet to the 1st ACMM court here on Wednesday. The 3,065-page chargesheet identifies 30 suspects and three police officials, including suspended DySP Shantakumar. All the 30 suspects are in judicial custody at Central Prison, Bengaluru.
However, the chargesheet does not mention anything about suspended IPS officer and ex-police recruitment chief Amrit Paul. Sources in CID said his role will be detailed in a supplementary chargesheet that will be filed soon. This is the second chargesheet filed by CID in the scam.
On July 6, sleuths probing the scam in Kalaburagi and surrounding areas filed a 1,900-page chargesheet in a local court, identifying 34 suspects. Of them, 33 are in judicial custody at Kalaburagi prison. “The chargesheet filed in Bengaluru court contains statements from 202 witnesses, 330 supporting documents, including reports from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) which confirmed the tampering of OMR sheets,” sources said.
“While candidates identified the touts or police officials who roped in them, Shantakumar allegedly explained how they entered the strongroom where the OMR sheets were kept and tampered with them. Also, a joint statement by Shantakumar and suspended police head constable Sridhar (who was working in the recruitment wing) has been mentioned. Over Rs 1. 5 crore was seized from Sridhar’s residence in Bengaluru.
The statement of Basavaraju, suspended police inspector from City Armed Reserve (CAR), explaining how the alleged nexus between candidates and Shantakumar was established, has been added,” sources said. “It was a case of cheating in two steps: Allowing candidates to use Bluetooth devices to write answers in select exam centres and tampering of OMR sheets. The chargesheet explains how the devices were arranged and how candidates succeeded in receiving answers,” sources added.
The exam for 545 posts of sub-inspectors was attended by 54,000 candidates at 93 centres in October 2021. Results were announced in January this year. Probe revealed the police recruitment cell itself was the epicentre of the scam and some candidates had paid around Rs 50 lakh to get to the centre where cheating was facilitated by touts. Over 75 people have been arrested till now.