The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) carried out search operations at residences of jailed IPS officer Amrit Paul and others, who are accused of involvement in the PSI recruitment scam, on Thursday.
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Records seized
In a press release, ED stated that under the provision of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, searches were carried out at 11 locations associated with the accused in the scam that included government officials and private persons. The ED said that during the search, incriminating records and electronic gadgets were seized. Mr. Paul was heading the police recruitment cell as the Additional Director General.
The Karnataka Police Recruitment Cell had conducted an examination for filling 545 vacancies of Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) in the Karnataka Police Department in 2021. After the results were declared, there were allegations of cheating and corrupt practices in the examination following which the Government of Karnataka ordered an investigation.
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“Various FIRs were registered against candidates, middlemen, and police officials involved in the irregularities, in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi, which were later on transferred to the CID for investigation. The CID, Bengaluru, had conducted searches on various premises and arrested Mr. Paul and around 100 other persons in the case,” the release said.
Tampering of OMR sheets
The ED said that during CID investigation, it was observed that there was tampering of OMR sheet in the strong room of the recruitment cell at the CID headquarters, Carlton House, Bengaluru. Police officers, in charge of the strong room, had switched off the CCTV camera, and two armed head constables had entered the strong room and tampered with the OMR sheet. Further, police officials collected money from candidates for facilitating their selection using illegal means.
Based on the FIRs, the ED has registered a Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) dated September 4, 2022, for the alleged offence of money laundering.