Teachers’ recruitment scam: CID conducts raids across 51 locations in Karnataka

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers investigating the teachers’ recruitment scam arrested on Wednesday 38 teachers who were accused in two cases registered at the Vidhana Soudha Police Station.

Arrests were made in simultaneous raids across the state with the CID entering schools in teams where the accused teachers were working. Raids happened in 51 locations at Bengaluru South, Bengaluru North, Chitradurga, Kolar and Chikkaballapura districts, under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Ramesh Banoth.

The senior officer had formed teams of deputy superintendents of police, some of which had the case investigating officers Puneeth Kumar R and K S Tanveer. They were assisted by 14 police inspectors.

In the case under Kumar’s investigation, 32 teachers have been accused, while in Tanveer’s case there are six teachers.

According to the CID, 24 teachers were arrested from Kolar, five from Bengaluru South, five from Chitradurga, and three from Chikkaballapura. The CID had earlier arrested 22 persons, including teachers and officials, and one more was arrested in the process.

All the arrested persons were brought to the CID office in the evening. They will be produced before the Lokayukta Court on Thursday, and will be taken into police custody for further investigation, a senior officer said.

Two cases were registered on August 12, with respect to the irregularities in the appointment of Grade 2 assistant teachers for high schools, called in the year 2012-2013, and the recruitment of Grade 2 assistant teachers and physical teachers for high schools in the year 2014-2015.

Some of the teachers arrested in the cases are also accused in another case, registered at the Halasuru Gate Police Station on September 23, based on a complaint filed by the Joint Director (JD) of the Department of Public Instruction.