CID traces ₹92 lakh trail in KPSC veterinary officer exam scam
CID probing the KPSC veterinary officer recruitment scam has traced ₹92 lakh in deposits and mapped an alleged question-leak network involving 29 accused candidates.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing the alleged KPSC veterinary officer recruitment examination scam has traced deposits totalling ₹92 lakh and mapped the network through which question papers were allegedly leaked to candidates ahead of the test.
Investigators have questioned 40 candidates, of whom 29 have been named as accused in the FIR. The probe has established links between candidates, a group of intermediaries, former KPSC Controller of Examinations Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and a key intermediary, Basavaraj Kannale.
According to the investigation, five candidates — Siddharth, Raj Mohammed, Basavaraj, Mahendra and Niranjan — were allegedly contacted by an intermediary named Pawan through Kannale. Another candidate, Mohammed Sohel, was allegedly approached by an intermediary named Maruti through Kannale. Kannale is also alleged to have directly contacted candidates Vinod, Kiran Gowda and Chaitra.
Money trail and frozen accounts
The ₹92 lakh in deposits was routed into accounts linked to the alleged network, including an account with Om Lakshmi Souharda Cooperative Bank at Tilakwadi and a Kotak Mahindra Bank account in the name of Balu Reddy. Records show multiple deposits of between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh made by candidates between January and February 2026. The investigation has also recorded alleged cash payments by candidates.
Debit operations in the accounts that received the candidates' deposits have been frozen. Around ₹69.2 lakh — ₹64 lakh in the Om Lakshmi Souharda Cooperative Bank account and ₹5.2 lakh in the Kotak Mahindra Bank account — has been frozen. A further ₹71.18 lakh held in accounts belonging to Kannale and his wife has also been debit-frozen, and ₹5.76 lakh in cash was seized from Kannale.
Leak at Devanahalli villas
Communications between candidates, intermediaries and Kannale were allegedly carried out over WhatsApp, and mobile phones seized from the candidates are being forensically examined.
Questions were allegedly supplied to candidates in printed form before the examination, with around 60 to 80 questions from each paper said to have been leaked. The alleged leak took place at three villas in the Orchid Nirvana gated community near Devanahalli, where candidates were taken and five of them were made to practise answering the leaked questions. Investigators have identified the printing press where the question papers were printed and questioned its representative.
Gangwar's alleged role
Gangwar, arrested on August 29, has been questioned in connection with the alleged leak. The CID searched his residence and seized documents from KPSC and MSME Department offices. It has also prepared a mahazar at the location where Gangwar allegedly destroyed a tablet used to photograph the question papers and transfer them to a pendrive.
Analysis of Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR) allegedly established communication between Gangwar and Kannale before and after the examination. The CID has identified an apartment in Devanahalli belonging to Gangwar's brother, Kamalapati Gangwar; the key to the apartment was allegedly recovered from Kannale's residence, and CCTV footage from the premises has been collected.
The agency also searched Kannale's dairy farm in Bhalki, Bidar, and the Sri Siddheshwari Souharda Cooperative Bank in Bhalki. Omkar Kamshetti, vice-president of Om Lakshmi Souharda Cooperative Society, was questioned, and financial links between him and Kannale were allegedly found. The CID has additionally sought copies of documents and other material seized by the Enforcement Directorate.