IAS officer arrested over Karnataka Public Service Commission exam fraud

Accused of bribery and OMR sheet tampering, the officer was remanded to judicial custody following extensive interrogation, as part of a larger investigation.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Sunday arrested IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar in connection with alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) examination for 400 veterinary officer posts, officials familiar with the matter said.

The FIR alleges that Gangwar received ₹1.1 crore from 2 candidates in return for tampering with their OMR sheets. (Hindustan Times)

Gangwar, a 2016 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who is currently Director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, was the KPSC examination controller from February 2024 to March 2026. He was taken into custody late Saturday after several hours of questioning. Officials said investigators found inconsistencies in his statements and felt he was uncooperative. He was produced before a magistrate on Sunday and was remanded to judicial custody. He was later taken to Parappana Agrahara prison, they said .

Deep Dive

What were the allegations against IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar in relation to the KPSC exam?

Why was the Karnataka CID involved in the investigation of the KPSC examination irregularities?

How did investigators assess Gangwar's cooperation during the interrogation process?

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“We took him into custody on Saturday and the arrest was formalised by Sunday afternoon,” said an officer familiar with the development.

According to officials, Gangwar was questioned for about nine hours in Bengaluru on Friday before the interrogation continued on Saturday. Investigators are examining his role in the examination’s conduct, including the handling of question papers, evaluation and alleged manipulation of OMR answer sheets.

The FIR alleges that Gangwar received ₹1.1 crore from 2 candidates in return for tampering with their OMR sheets. He has been booked under Section 318 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 10 of the Karnataka Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Corruption & Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act.

The state government transferred the case to the CID on July 28 after two cases were registered at Vidhana Soudha police station. The complaint was filed by veterinarian Manjunath against suspended former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukara and others.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is separately examining the alleged irregularities in the exam.