PSI recruitment scam: CID Sleuths arrest 3 accused including ex-BJP functionary Divya Hagaragi

KALABURAGI: In a late-night operation, the sleuths of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Karnataka arrested 3 accused including prime accused Divya Hagaragi at Pune of Maharashtra on Thursday midnight in connection with malpractice and manipulation of answer sheets of PSI Recruitment.

The arrested accused in the mid-night operation include Divya Hagaragi, Sunita and Archana. CID sources confirmed the arrest of these 3 accused and said that the other 2 accused have been taken into custody and if their involvement is proved, they would be arrested. Divya was with the District unit Mahila Morcha of BJP a year back.

Based on a tip-off that Divya and associates were moving from place to place in Maharashtra and they will arrive at Pune on Thursday evening, the CID team of Karnataka led by its SP Ragahavendra Hegde, DSPs Shankar Gowda Patil and Prakash Rathod went to Pune and arrested Divya and 2 others. The team took into custody 2 other suspected accused also. All the 5 were being brought to Kalaburagi and they are expected to bring the accused to Kalaburagi by 10.30 A. M.

Divya Hagaragi was the secretary of Jnana Ganga English Medium School of Kalaburagi and it was the exam center of PSI Recruitment Tests conducted in the month of October last year where at exam malpractice and manipulation of answer sheets took place.

The CID filed FIR in Chowk Police Station which is the jurisdictional police station with regard to this scam on April 10 and Divya and her team remained absconding since April 10. With the arrest of these 3 accused, the number of arrests by the CID has increased to 20.

A hearing of the anticipatory bail petition filed by Divya and others was to come before the First Additional District & Sessions Court on Friday. As she and others were arrested before the orders from the court, the anticipatory bail petition will have no meaning. The accused have to file for regular bail now.