The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scam, arrested P. Shantha Kumar, Dy. SP, a key personnel in the police recruitment cell with a track record of 12 years in the cell. His arrest comes close on the heels of the arrest of four other junior personnel posted in the cell when the exams were held and results finalised.
The CID probe has reportedly uncovered that the OMR sheets of many candidates who had paid money were tampered with and correct answers filled in the strong room at the recruitment cell: the first time a malpractice at the cell has come to light.
Candidates who had paid money to touts left most of the questions unanswered in Paper II — 100 multiple choice questions for 150 marks — and it was believed that invigilators at the exam centres filled the OMR sheets after the exam with the correct answers. “However, it has now emerged that the OMR sheets were filled after the papers reached the strong room, compromising the very process of the examination,” a senior official said.
In Kalaburagi, OMR sheets were tampered with at the exam centres, but for many other candidates in Bengaluru and elsewhere, they were allegedly tampered with at the recruitment cell itself, sources said.
The CID has been probing the role of the recruitment cell for the past one week and arrested four personnel two days ago. Following the leads, they questioned Shantha Kumar for over a day since Thursday and arrested him Friday evening.
With the arrest of Shantha Kumar and alleged widespread malpractices at the strong room of the recruitment cell, the CID is likely to put the role of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Amrit Paul, who headed the cell during the exams, under the scanner. The CID has been mulling on serving Mr. Paul a notice to appear before it for questioning. “The probe is going ahead in a very systematic way, first covering candidates who have indulged in malpractices, then touts and slowly have now started probing the recruitment cell,” a senior official said.
