Bengaluru: IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar was arrested by CID sleuths late Saturday in connection with alleged irregularities in the veterinary examination conducted by Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).The arrest came after CID found documents related to the question paper of the examination conducted for the recruitment of veterinarians to fill 400 posts.Superintendent of police Raghavendra K Hegde and his team questioned the officer on Friday and Saturday for more than 20 hours before arresting him. The police questioned the IAS officer on Sunday too.Gyanendra is a 2016-batch officer. Earlier, there were rumours that he was missing. However, home minister Priyank Kharge clarified that he had applied for leave and gone to his hometown to attend to a family medical emergency.Gyanendra’s father was unwell and was hospitalised, as he communicated to the government.The complainants who appeared for the examination alleged that the question paper was leaked to selected candidates, the OMR sheets were tampered with, and middlemen demanded Rs 70 to Rs 80 lakh for helping them pass the examination. Gyanendra was then the controller of examinations at KPSC.Gyanendra was questioned in detail about the irregularities, based on primary evidence collected in the case. However, he did not allegedly cooperate with the investigation and gave contradictory answers during two days of questioning.As he was not cooperating, he was arrested and produced before a magistrate at his Koramangala residence on Sunday afternoon. While CID sought police custody, the judge remanded him in judicial custody for a day and directed CID sleuths to produce him in open court on Monday and seek police custody.A senior officer said: “Gyanendra was produced around 4pm. After the order, he was sent to Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara. We will approach the court for his custody on Monday.”CID sleuths had issued a notice to Gyanendra to appear before the investigating officer after taking over the cases registered at Vidhana Soudha police station.On Aug 23, Directorate of Enforcement officials conducted a raid on his house in Jayamahal Extension. A senior officer said, “We are yet to question or collect evidence about the alleged amount received by the officer from two candidates who appeared for the examination.”ED officials have also issued a notice to him to appear before the IO, but Gyanendra responded and appeared before the CID. Gyanendra was transferred after the allegations of irregularities surfaced in March and is currently serving as Director, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce and Industries Department.
