BENGALURU: Suspended IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, who was the Controller of Examination at Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) when the alleged exam malpractice occurred, used the money collected by an accused from the selected candidates to buy a diamond necklace for his female friend at a jewellery shop on Commercial Street, reveals the probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The CID produced before a city court a photograph of Gangwar and his female friend purchasing the necklace. It stated that one of the accused booked air tickets for Gangwar and his female friend several times, using the money deposited by the candidates into benami accounts.
CID, filing objections to Gangwar’s bail application before the LI Additional City Civil and Sessions Court in the city, stated that Gangwar, being a responsible IAS officer, did not safeguard the interest of meritorious candidates.
The prosecution submitted various account statement extracts and money trail synopses, tracing the money exchanged between Gangwar and Basavaraj Kannale, accused no 6, and also money transferred by the candidates to the benami account of Kannale maintained with a cooperative society at Bhalki in Bidar.
CID produced the application form Kannale submitted to open an account with the society on April 2, 2025, just before committing the crime. From February to August 2026, Rs 1.86 crore was transferred into the account, from which Rs 15 lakh was used at the jewellery shop.
As per the money trail synopsis, the selected candidates deposited the money into the account of one Babu Reddy, maintained at a private bank, on Kannale’s instructions. Later, Reddy transferred the amount to Kannale, who in turn transferred it to the account of Gangwar, who used it to purchase the gold jewellery worth Rs 52.30 lakh from the jewellery shop. But Gangwar’s counsel said the photograph is said to be from July 26, 2026, which was after the FIR was registered, and therefore manipulated. The CID, however, has produced copies of the receipts for the purchase of gold jewellery in the name of Gangwar’s female friend.
The prosecution stated that Kannale runs a travel agency, through which he booked air tickets for Gangwar and his family members. Producing details of air tickets purchased between April 2025 and August 2026, the prosecution stated that Kannale paid Rs 11.37 lakh. There were 54 bookings in the name of Gangwar, and 11 his female friend’s name, from Bengaluru to Ayodhya, from Bengaluru to Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, Gangwar town, and Bengaluru to Lucknow.
The prosecution stated that CID has identified the place where Gangwar handed over question papers to Kannale and where the tablet used to commit the offence was destroyed. NVR (Network Video Recording) of Kannale’s visit to Gangwar’s house has been seized.
Noting that the documents establish prima facie material against Gangwar, Judge Nirmala Devi S rejected his bail application.