CCB busts PSI question paper leak, arrests 16 across Karnataka
Raids were carried out at different coaching centres and houses across the city and state, leading to the arrests.
Bengaluru: In a major breakthrough, sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested 16 people in connection with the alleged leak of police sub-inspector exam question papers.
Raids were carried out at different coaching centres and houses across the city and state, leading to the arrests. The police said that of the 16 arrested, eight were candidates who were hoping to get the question papers of the exams held for sub-inspector posts.
An assistant sub-inspector, C. Nagaraj, attached to the wireless department in Bengaluru, is among the accused. Besides Nagaraj, the other two arrested are H. Basavaraj, 40, and H. Holiyappa, 38, drivers and friends of Shivakumaraiah alias Guruji. Shivakumaraiah was arrested in 2016 for the second PU question paper leak and is a prime accused in a recent case of question paper leak of civil police constable exams.
The others are R. Santosh, 31, M.R. Dilip Kumar, 32, of Bengaluru, Harsha Kumar C.S., 32, of Tumakuru, Yadukumar M.N., 41, D. Kartik Reddy, 23, D. Suresh, 37, of Bengaluru, M. Shivakumar, 24, of Koppala, S. Bhagyavanta, 24, R. Arun, 25, of Belagavi, B. Hanumesh, 24, of Raichuru, M. Neelamma, 24, of Bagalkote, B. Jayashri, 27, and S. Bheem Singh, 53.
A senior police officer, however, said that the question paper was not leaked. The eight candidates, who were detained from a coaching centre at Gokak in Belagavi, were waiting for the question paper.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar said that they received concrete information on candidates gathering at different places to get the question papers.
A CCB official said that the candidates arrested from Gokak were told that getting the question paper was difficult and they had to face the exams on their own.
The teams are searching for other candidates who fled from the spot during the raids. The police have recovered Rs 41 lakh cash, blank cheques worth Rs 3 lakh, printers and laptops.
