Pramesh S Jain
The Bengaluru Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday,August 18,2026,launched a major search and seizure operation under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment of Veterinary Officers.
The searches are being conducted at 21 premises across Karnataka and Ahmedabad.
The locations include the KPSC office,the residence of suspended KPSC Chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar,KPSC member Shanta Hosmani,alleged middlemen,selected candidates and the premises of Edutest Solutions Pvt.Ltd.,the agency responsible for digital evaluation of examination papers.
The searches are spread across Bengaluru,Hassan, Chitradurga,Davanagere,Raichur,Karwar,Kalaburagi and Belagavi,besides Ahmedabad.
The ED action follows four FIRs registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station in Bengaluru alleging serious irregularities in the final selection process for Veterinary Officers.
According to the complaints,alleged middlemen approached candidates,including the complainant,and demanded Rs.70 lakh to Rs.80 lakh per candidate in exchange for ensuring their selection.
The complainant is also said to have submitted audio recordings of conversations with the alleged middlemen to the investigating agency.
The allegations under investigation include question paper leakage,tampering with OMR answer sheets, manipulation of the evaluation process and facilitating the selection of relatives of KPSC officials.
The ED is examining the alleged money trail and financial transactions linked to the recruitment irregularities as part of its PMLA investigation.The searches are currently underway.
