KOCHI: The Crime Branch has registered a separate case of forgery against three civil police officers (CPOs) linked to the PSC exam malpractice allegedly committed by three SFI leaders. Ratheesh T S, writer; Ebin Prasad, CPO; and Lalu Raj, CPO, are accused of forging documents to help civil police officer Gokul, who has been suspended on charges of helping the culprits to commit the malpractice.
According to the Crime Branch SP, Thiruvananthapuram, the investigation has found serious lapses on the part of Ratheesh, Ebin, and Lalu and requested legal proceedings against them under Sections 465, 468 and 471 of the IPC. They forged documents to help Gokul prove that he was on duty at the police camp office at the time of examination for recruitment to the post of CPOs. Gokul has also been named in the chargesheet.
Meanwhile, the PSC has decided to send advice memos to the candidates on the rank list of civil police officer. Speaking to TNIE, PSC chairman MK Sakeer said the commission has been holding back the list for the last four months following the alleged malpractice. “There is no point in freezing the list for an uncertain period in the light of the arrest of the culprits involved in the fraud. We will be sending the advice memos to as many as 2,782 candidates,” he said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has stated in the assembly that mobile phones and watches will not be allowed in the PSC examination centres from now and those who keep these gadgets with them would be disqualified. University College students and SFI leaders Sivarenjith, A N Naseem and P P Pranav have already been booked for the fraud.