The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested former Karnataka Public Service Commission chairman Shivashankarappa S. Sahukar and commission member BV Geeta in connection with an ongoing money-laundering investigation into alleged cash-for-jobs arrangements and recruitment irregularities. Investigators detained Sahukar following questioning at his Dollars Colony residence in Bengaluru, while a separate team took Geeta into custody from her apartment in the same locality. Both were subsequently produced before a court, where the central agency sought their custody for further interrogation.
The action forms part of an expanding probe into financial transactions and malpractices tied to state recruitment tests. Last week, the agency questioned suspended IAS officer and former KPSC examination controller Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar. Gangwar and alleged political activist Basavaraj Kannale remain in judicial custody after their bail applications were rejected by the courts.
Digital trails and candidate links under scrutiny
The questioning of Sahukar commenced at his residence on Tuesday morning, focusing on procedural violations and suspicious financial arrangements. After hours of interrogation, officials formally placed him under arrest. Simultaneously, Geeta was picked up to determine her role in the administrative process, the leakage of test papers, and the associated money trail.
Federal investigators have also examined several candidates who appeared for the recruitment examinations. Among them is Suguresh, a close relative of Sahukar, who reportedly secured unusually high marks in the test. The agency is analyzing his statements alongside digital and documentary evidence to establish the direct links connecting candidates, public officials, and intermediaries.
Midnight calls and leak of answer material
According to investigators, question papers and related answer material were circulated to select individuals prior to the examination date. Agency findings indicate that Gangwar spoke to Sahukar twice over the phone on the night of January 7, just hours before the examination was scheduled to take place.
The question paper and answer material allegedly reached Suguresh soon after, who then shared the material with Geeta. The agency is currently reviewing call records, electronic devices, and related commission documents to establish the exact sequence of events and track how the confidential test papers were distributed among the key accused.
Widening net around financial transactions
Sahukar, a native of Hemanala village in Devadurga taluk of Raichur district, holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering. He became a member of the commission in September 2019 and was elevated to the post of chairman in April 2021 on the recommendation of the state government. Prior to his arrest, he had faced scrutiny regarding an allegedly fraudulent income certificate submitted by his daughter to secure reservation benefits, as well as broader accusations regarding question-paper leaks and middlemen networks across multiple examinations.
The agency previously searched Sahukar’s Bengaluru residence multiple times in August and is now tracking bank transfers, suspected assets, and the broader financial network behind the recruitment operation. Further interrogations are expected as officials work to identify additional beneficiaries and intermediaries involved in the cash-for-jobs racket.
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