In a major twist to the Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) recruitment scam, key accused Rudragowda Patil wrote a letter to the Karnataka Lokayukta accusing the investigating officer — Deputy Superintendent of Police in Criminal Investigating Department (CID) Shankargowda Patil — of taking ₹76 lakh as part of a demand for a bribe of ₹3 crore.
The letter, a copy of which is with The Hindu, has been sent to the Lokayukta along with a pen drive that contains an audio clip of a purported conversation between the accused and the CID officer.
“Shankargowda Patil, DySP and the investigating officer in the case, had demanded ₹3 crore for giving me relief in the case. I had refused to pay that much of money. He insisted that I pay the sum he demanded or face serious consequences. I arranged ₹76,00,000, which I handed over to him through my relative Srikanth, along with a promise to hand over the remaining amount after I was released on bail,” Rudragowda Patil alleged in the letter.
The accusation of demanding a bribe by the investigation officer has been made by Rudragowda Patil, the alleged kingpin of PSI recruitment scam. | Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
He further accused Mr. Shankargowda of pressuring him to pay the remaining ₹2,24,00,000, and threatening to file many First Information Reports (FIRs) against him. “The audio recording of the conversation between me and Shankargowda Patil is attached with the letter. I request legal action against this corrupt officer,” Rudragowda wrote in the letter.
Copies of the letter were marked to Additional Director General of Police (CID), Police Commissioner of Kalaburagi, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, and ‘all media friends’.
Karnataka’s PSI recruitment scam andthe rot at the top
Hours before Rudragowda surrendered before a court in Kalaburagi on January 23 in connection with a case of him pushing the CID officers who had come to his residence to arrest him and escaping from their clutches, a video clip of him describing the sequence of events that unfolded since the Enforcement Directorate sleuths raided his residence on January 19 was uploaded on R.D. Patil Yuva Brigade, Afzalpur Facebook page. In that video, Rudragowda addressed the media and also levelled the same bribery allegation against DySP Shankargowda Patil. He showed receipts for the registered posts through which he sent his complaint against DySP Shankargowda Patil to Lokayukta and other senior officers.
DySP Shankargowda Patil responds to allegations of demanding bribe
DySP Shankargowda Patil dismissed the allegations saying they are an attempt to mentally weaken him and get him removed from the investigation team.
“It is an absolutely false allegation. He [Rudragowda] wants me and my team to go out of the investigation of the PSI recruitment scam. We are thoroughly investigating the case and getting everybody involved in the case. As many as 20 candidates who had joined hands with him have so far been brought to justice. Our investigating methodology is scientific and our local knowledge is helping us get to the bottom of the case. He knows that all his misdeeds, not just in the PSI recruitment examination but also in other recruitment examinations, such as those conducted for SDA and FDA, would come out if I continue to investigate the case. More FIRs against him would lead to invoking stringent Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act, 2000 against him. In order to avoid this, he wants us to go out of the investigating team so that he would manage the new team,” DySP Shankargowda Patil told The Hindu.
When asked about the audio clip that Rudragowda attached with his complaint to the Lokayukta, DySP Shankargowda Patil admitted its authenticity by stating that the conversation was recorded in the second week of July 2022 when the accused was being questioned in CID custody.
“It was recorded when I was questioning him. We asked questions about the case. He attempted to divert the issue and talked of luring us. I clearly noticed it and even mentioned it in my report that was submitted to the court on July 16, 2022,” DySP Shankargowda Patil told The Hindu.
Published - January 24, 2023 03:06 pm IST
