PSI recruitment scam: Main suspect among 7 arrested, K’taka to hold re-exam

The seventh accused in the case is Maharashtra businessman Suresh Katgaon, said police, adding, he was arrested for sheltering Hagaragi.

Main accused BJP leader Divya Hagaragi among seven others have been arrested in connection with the police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment scam in Pune and are being brought to the state, said police on Friday. In another development, the Karnataka government on Friday announced that the PSI examination, held in October 2021, stands cancelled in light of the malpractices that surfaced recently. Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra said that another examination will be conducted soon for the recruitment of 545 PSI posts.

Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra said that another examination will be conducted soon for the recruitment of 545 PSI posts. (Representational photo)

Apart from Hagaragi, police arrested Jnana Jyothi English Medium School headmaster Kashinath, teachers Archana and Sunanda, a candidate named Shanthi Bai and two others whose identity is being ascertained as of now.

The seventh accused in the case is Maharashtra businessman Suresh Katgaon, said police, adding, he was arrested for sheltering Hagaragi.

“The main accused in the police recruitment exam scam Divya Hagaragi, along with the others, have been taken into custody in Pune. They are being inquired and brought to Karnataka,” Jnanendra said.

Speaking to reporters, the home minister said that it is clear that malpractices have taken place at several centres, even in Bengaluru. “In this backdrop, after discussions, the government has decided to cancel the exams and hold re-exams. Excluding the accused who had taken the exam, the others out of the total 54,289 people who had appeared for the exam will be allowed to take the re-exam,” he said.

The minister said that previously there were too many exam centres, which would be reduced this time. The re-exam will be held at bigger centres where jammers and new technologies would be used to put an end to cheating and fraud, he said.

“The government is thinking of bringing stricter laws aimed at protecting the interest of those who genuinely prepare and appear for exams, and to punish those who indulge in malpractices,” Jnanendra said, adding, that the government is considering changing all the exam centres, where the exams were held last time.

The home minister also appealed to candidates to not lose hope and appear for the re-exams with confidence. “All measures will be taken to hold the exams in a transparent manner. We are gathering details about how UPSC exams are conducted and won’t let negative forces disrupt the exam process,” he said. Meanwhile, KPCC working president Ramalinga Reddy said, “It is foolish for the home minister to even think that he can divert the attention and save the accused by merely announcing a new exam.Since the inception of the investigation, CID hasn’t been able to release even one interim report, wonder why?”

On Friday morning, the criminal investigation department (CID) brought Hagargi to the state after her arrest in Maharashtra. “We had been tracking her for several days now. Soon after we got information about her involvement and raided her house, she escaped, however, she was arrested from a hideout in Pune,” said a CID official.

She is the 18th accused to be arrested in the case.Previously, Divya’s husband Rajesh Hagargi was arrested. Divya runs the Jnana Jyothi Institution, an educational institution in Kalaburgi, and was the president of BJP women unit in Kalaburagi.

Divya’s name cropped up in the CID probe after a candidate named Veeresh secured 121 marks in the recruitment examination despite attempting only 21 questions. His examination centre was Jnana Jyothi Institution. Veeresh had secured the seventh rank. The probe revealed that she had taken money from candidates and filled the answer sheets after turning off the CCTV cameras in the school. She had asked two of her staff members to fill the answers, said CID officials.

After the incident came to light, the party distanced itself from her and said she was not associated with the party. However, locals and police officials confirmed that she was an active BJP member.

Reacting to the developments, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “We will go to the bottom of the scam. Stern action would be taken against the culprits.”

When asked whether the recruitment scams have dented the image of the government, Bommai said, “it is not the question of the government here. The exams are being conducted on the lines of UPSC exams. The irregularities were detected by the government and an investigation has been ordered. Any more irregularities if found, would be dealt with severely.”

Meanwhile, former minister and KPCC spokesperson Priyank Kharge on Friday replied to the notice issued to him by the CID in connection with the scam.

In his six-page reply, Priyank said, “The issuance of aforesaid notice under Sections 91 and 160 of CrPc is concerned, it is rather strange that the CID has taken the recourse to such a mechanism.”

He said the current dispensation wants to scuttle and stifle free speech and, in the process, destroy the democratic fabric by issuing such notices to opposition leaders.

Kharge had held a press conference in which he had released an audiotape of an alleged conversation between a middleman and PSI exam candidate, where the duo could be heard talking about cheating in the examination. Following the press conference, CID issued a notice to the legislator asking him to appear before the investigating agency.