BENGALURU: Former chief of police recruitment, Additional Director General of Police, Amrit Paul, has reportedly denied having any role in the alleged multi-crore police sub-inspector recruitment scam.
The senior IPS officer was arrested on July 4 by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the scam and remanded in police custody for 10 days for custodial interrogation.
Sources on condition of anonymity said Paul is allegedly not cooperating with the investigation.
At the centre of the scam, which has snowballed into a huge political controversy, is the missing key of the strongroom at the recruitment headquarters at Carlton House where the answer scripts and OMR sheets were kept for evaluation. The chief of police recruitment is the sole custodian of the key. But sources alleged that Paul has reportedly not been able to account for the key so far.
Prior to his arrest, in his earlier questioning by the CID, he had reportedly told the investigating team that his subordinates and recruitment staff had overseen the examination process.The detailed confessional statement made by former Deputy Superintendent of Police (recruitment) Shantha Kumar, who was arrested earlier by the CID in the case under Section 164 of the CrPC, was reportedly instrumental in Paul’s arrest.
Kumar was reportedly responsible for the strongroom, which was allegedly rigged leading to tampering of OMR sheets of candidates, who cleared the examination through fraudulent means.“The CID also had gathered enough evidence, including digital evidence and call data records (CDRs), which led to the arrest of the senior IPS officer,” said sources.
Paul, an IPS officer of the 1995 batch, was arrested under Sections 409, 406, 420, 468, 469, 461, 471 and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal breach of trust by a public servant, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, dishonestly breaking open receptacle containing property, using as genuine forged document or electronic record and criminal conspiracy. He has been placed under suspension under the All India Services (Discipline & Appeals) Rule, 1969.
BJP FIGHTING CORRUPTION, UNLIKE SIDDU GOVT: CM
Mysuru: In the backdrop of the arrest of a top IPS officer in the PSI recruitment scam, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said while his government is working towards eradicating corruption, the previous government shielded those involved in graft. He said former CM Siddaramaiah has claimed to have delivered effective administration, but his government had hushed up a case against a DGP who had an FIR for misuse of Rs 18 crore. Referring Siddaramaiah’s accusation that the CM should not mislead the House in the recruitment scam, Bommai asked why was the then DGP not arrested.