Bengaluru: IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar and middleman Basavaraj Kannale have been remanded in judicial custody for 3 weeks in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) Veterinary Officers’ recruitment examination. The order came after their 10-day police custody with the CID ended, leading officials to produce the two before a local court which sent them to Central Prison. The remand follows a CID probe that uncovered an intricate job-for-cash network where question papers were allegedly leaked and OMR sheets manipulated in exchange for massive bribes.

The CID estimates that over Rs 12 crore was collected from multiple candidates, with individual bribes ranging between Rs 70 lakh and Rs 80 lakh per post. During their extended interrogation, investigators confronted the duo with recovered digital evidence, incriminating diaries listing candidate names and untoward financial transfers traced directly to bank accounts linked to the operation. CID sleuths also conducted raids, including at the residence of suspended KPSC chairperson Shivashankarappa Sahukar.

After spending 10 days in CID custody, Gangwar and Kannale were produced before the First ACMM Court on Wednesday (September 9) and remanded in 14 days of judicial custody. The investigating agency told the court that it did not require their custody at present, but reserved the option of seeking their custody again if necessary during the investigation. Gangwar, an IAS officer, had served as Controller of Examinations at the KPSC from February 2024 to March 2026 before being transferred as Director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in June. He was questioned by the CID before being arrested in connection with the case.

Kannale, who was arrested by a CID team in Delhi, is a member of the Tumkur University Syndicate and has been linked to the BJP in Bidar. His photographs with several BJP leaders, including Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra and C.N. Ashwath Narayan, BJP MLA, have surfaced on social media. The CID suspects that Kannale may have played a key role in the alleged irregularities and is probing his links with Gangwar and his alleged involvement in the recruitment process. The investigation has also focused on the alleged manipulation of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets, tampering with or destruction of CCTV footage and possible manipulation of other crucial evidence.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is separately probing the alleged recruitment irregularities. The agency has issued a lookout notice against KPSC member Shanta Hosamani at airports after she allegedly became untraceable following the ED searches on August 18 and failed to respond to its notices. The CID also searched the offices and houses of both the accused and allegedly seized incriminating documents related to money trail.