The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday carried out simultaneous raids across the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, in a police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment scam.
The raids were carried out at 36 locations in Jammu and Srinagar (J&K), Karnal, Mahendergarh, Rewari in Haryana, Gandhidham in Gujarat, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Bengaluru in Karnataka and Delhi, a CBI statement said.
It said the premises of former Chairman of J&K services selection board (SSB) Khalid Jehangir, then Controller of Examination of JKSSB, gang members domiciled in Haryana, certain teachers, some serving/retired officials of J&K police, including a Dy SP and paramilitary CRPF were raided in the on-going investigation.
Incriminating documents and digital evidence were also recovered during the searches. The CBI investigation has revealed that payments of Rs 20 to Rs 30 lakh were allegedly made by willing candidates and their families to the accused for accessing the question paper before commencement of the examination.
Last month, the CBI conducted searches at 30 locations – 28 in Jammu and one each at Srinagar and Bengaluru - at the premises of the accused in alleged irregularities in the PSI recruitment scam.
Over 97,000 candidates had appeared in the exam in March this year for 1200 posts. However, soon after the declaration of the result online, unsuccessful candidates took to the street alleging fraud in the recruitment process.
Taking cognizance of these reports and alleged fraud selection process J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Sinha in June ordered for a time-bound probe into the matter by one of the senior most bureaucrats. On July 8, on the recommendations of the committee, the selection list was cancelled and the case was handed over to the CBI for thorough probe.
The CBI registered a case on August 3 against 33 accused, including then medical officer, BSF Frontier Headquarters, Paloura, then member, JKSSB, then under secretary, then section officer (both of JKSSB), ex official of CRPF, ASI of J&K Police, owner of a coaching centre at Akhnoor; private company based at Bengaluru, private persons and unknown others on the allegations of irregularities in written examination.
“It was alleged that the accused entered into a conspiracy amongst officials of JKSSB, Bengaluru based private company, beneficiary candidates and others to cause gross irregularities in conduct of written examination. It was further alleged that there was an abnormally high percentage of selected candidates from Jammu, Rajouri and Samba districts,” the CBI statement said.
“Violation of rules by JKSSB was allegedly found in assigning the task of setting the question paper to a Bengaluru based private company,” it added.