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.
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 is expected to be produced before a magistrate on Sunday.
“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.
{{/usCountry}}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.
{{/usCountry}}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.
Manjunath alleged that relatives of the former chairman, KPSC members and staff obtained unusually high marks in the examination conducted on January 8 and 9 despite having average academic records. He also alleged that some candidates who had cleared national-level competitive examinations performed poorly in the state recruitment test.
The complaint raised further questions about the candidates’ conduct before the examination. Some candidates alleged that shortlisted aspirants switched off their mobile phones before or on the examination days and stayed at hotels and resorts outside Karnataka, where intermediaries allegedly provided them with the questions.
Manjunath also questioned the authenticity of OMR answer sheets. He alleged that candidates who had left several questions unanswered nevertheless secured high marks, while intermediaries offered to manipulate OMR sheets for up to ₹80 lakh.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is separately examining the alleged irregularities in the exam. On August 23, the agency searched Gangwar’s residence in Jayamahal Extension, Bengaluru. Officials familiar with the details said Gangwar was in Uttar Pradesh when the search took place and that officials allegedly entered the residence using a duplicate key.
Gangwar had also come under scrutiny earlier this month after he remained out of contact for two days starting August 20. He later contacted the government and said he had gone to his hometown due to a family emergency. State home minister Priyank Kharge subsequently said that no IAS officer had gone missing.