KALABURAGI: Sleuths of the CID on Monday raided the Jnana Ganga educational institution in connection with the scam related to Police Sub-Inspector Common Entrance Test (PSI CET) held in October 3, 2021. This, hours after the arrest of the president of the institution.
Many candidates, allegedly, coughed up lakhs of rupees to get through the test, held to fill up 524 PSI posts in the state, by unfair means.
A team led by deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) Shankargouda Patil and Prakash Rathod raided the institution and seized CCTV cameras and computers belonging to the institution.
On Sunday late night, a team led by CIP SP Raghavendra Hegde and DSPs Shankargowda Patil and Prakash Rathod conducted a search to collect evidence in the house of Rajesh Hagragi who is the president of Jnana Ganga educational institution and subsequently arrested him. His wife Divya Hagaragi is the secretary of the school. She is also the former district president of BJP Mahila Morcha.
While eight persons including Rajesh Hagragi were so far arrested in connection with the case, his wife Divya and Kashinath are reportedly absconding.
Sources in the CID said that during the PSI CET some of the supervisors helped the candidates by writing the test. The CID sleuths had arrested 3 supervisors working in the institution, namely, Suma, Siddamma, and Savitri. They were later remanded in custody. The sleuths took them. The team also seized CCTV cameras.
It is understood that the principal of the institution Kashinath switched off the CCTV cameras for half an hour on the day of the malpractice.
Meanwhile, the media convener of the BJP state unit Karunakar Khasale released a press note on Monday saying that Divya Hagargai is not a BJP leader and she is not connected with BJP. The chief minister has given free hand to the CID and the probe team will take appropriate action against those involved in the scam, Karunakar said.
However, sources in the BJP confirmed that Divya was the women's wing president of the district unit but all the responsibilities given to her were withdrawn in October last year. But she was not expelled from the party.