After conducting raids across the State, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police have arrested 16 people who allegedly cheated aspiring sub-inspectors by promising them question paper for the written recruitment test, which was held on Sunday, in exchange for money. In the end, however, no paper was given to the candidates.
“Among the accused were three police personnel, teachers, and tutors of coaching centres in and around the State,” said T. Suneel Kumar, City Police Commissioner. “Two of the accused police personnel (constables) escaped the raid, and efforts are on to nab them,” he said.
The police have recovered ₹41.2 lakh in cash, cheques worth ₹3 lakh as well as blank cheques given by candidates to the accused.
There was no question of a paper leak and the accused were duping the candidates. They were trying to access the question paper from their sources, before the CCB busted the racket and arrested them.
The police suspect that more people are involved in the scam. Nine CCB teams conducted simultaneous raids in Bengaluru, Belagavi, Tumakuru, and Vijayapura.
Eight candidates were also arrested in connection with the case. The accused had lured gullible candidates with the promise that they would give them the question paper a few hours before the exam was scheduled to begin.
Alok Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police, said the racket came to light when the CCB was probing the BMTC/KSRTC recruitment question paper leak case reported a few days ago.
The accused Somappa Yamanappa Melinamani, 34, who topped the BTMC written exam, had been arrested by the Wilson Garden police on January 7. He was later handed over to the CCB where he confessed that he passed the exam with the help of Basappa Bhajantri Nimgod, owner of a coaching centre, who provided him with the question paper for ₹2 lakh.
CCB officials tracked down Basappa Bhajantri, owner of Chanakya Career Academy in Vijayapura. Based on the information given by him, the police arrested the perpetrators of the police exam racket.
Many of the accused own coaching centres and have links to Shivakumaraiah alias Guruji, who is the key accused in two paper leak scams, including the PU chemistry paper. He is currently in judicial custody.
“There are many candidates who were in contact with the accused,” said Mr. Suneel Kumar. The CCB will be filing a report with the Recruitment and Training Department with details of the accused seeking legal action. Such candidates should not be allowed to attend any competitive exam conducted by the government,” he added.
