Bengaluru, Jan 24 (IANS) The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bengaluru Zonal Office, has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 1.53 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) recruitment scam involving former ADGP Amrit Paul and others, the agency said in an official statement on Saturday.

The attached assets include residential properties belonging to Amrit Paul, former Additional Director General of Police (Recruitment), and Sridhar H, a head constable.

The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR registered by the High Grounds Police Station of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Bengaluru, against several police officials and candidates for alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Police Sub-Inspectors in Karnataka during 2021–22.

The Karnataka Police Recruitment Cell had conducted examinations to fill 545 vacancies of Police Sub-Inspectors in the Karnataka Police Department. A provisional list of successful candidates was later published. However, after the tentative results were declared, allegations surfaced regarding cheating and corrupt practices in the examination process.

According to the ED, its investigation revealed that Amrit Paul, in his capacity as Additional Director General of Police (Recruitment), played a pivotal role in the conspiracy by facilitating unauthorised access to the strong room where OMR answer sheets were stored.

He allegedly handed over the keys of the almirah containing the strong room keys to Deputy Superintendent of Police Shanth Kumar, thereby allowing accomplices, including Sridhar H, to tamper with the OMR answer sheets of undeserving candidates to ensure their selection.

The accused allegedly collected bribes ranging from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 70 lakh per candidate. The illicit proceeds were allegedly layered under the guise of hand loans and utilised for the construction of residential properties, the agency said.

Earlier, the ED had filed a prosecution complaint in the case, and the competent court has already taken cognisance of the offence of money laundering as defined under Section 3 of the PMLA, 2002.

Further investigation in the matter is under way, the ED added.

–IANS

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