New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth ₹1.53 crore belonging to a Karnataka cadre IPS officer and a head constable as part of its money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the police sub-inspector (SI) recruitment process in the state, officials said on Saturday.
In a statement, the federal agency said the attached assets include residential properties and were seized under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The provisional attachment order was issued on Friday and forms part of the ED’s ongoing probe into alleged corruption, manipulation and financial wrongdoing linked to the recruitment of sub-inspectors in Karnataka.
IPS Officer and Head Constable Named in Probe
According to the agency, the properties belong to Amrit Paul, a 1995-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Karnataka cadre, and Sridhar H, a head constable. Paul was serving as Additional Director General of Police (Recruitment) during the period when the alleged irregularities in the recruitment process are said to have taken place. He was arrested by the Karnataka Crime Investigation Department (CID) in 2022 in connection with the case.
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Alleged Manipulation of Police SI Recruitment Exams
The investigation relates to the Karnataka Police recruitment drive conducted to fill 545 sub-inspector posts. While a provisional list of selected candidates was initially published, serious allegations of corruption and manipulation emerged soon after the tentative results were announced. The complaints triggered parallel probes by state agencies and later by the ED to examine the alleged laundering of proceeds generated through the recruitment process.
ED Alleges Bribery and Tampering of Answer Sheets
The ED has alleged that Paul played a key role in facilitating the manipulation of examination-related materials. According to the agency, he enabled unauthorised access to the strongroom where OMR answer sheets were stored. Investigators claimed that Paul handed over the keys of the almirah containing the strongroom keys to Deputy Superintendent of Police Shanth Kumar, thereby allowing accomplices, including head constable Sridhar H, to tamper with the answer sheets of candidates who did not merit selection.
The agency has further alleged that the manipulation was carried out to ensure the selection of certain candidates in exchange for bribes. According to the ED, bribe amounts allegedly ranged between ₹30 lakh and ₹70 lakh per candidate. The proceeds generated through this alleged corruption were later channelled into the construction and acquisition of residential properties, which have now been provisionally attached under the PMLA.
Proceeds of Crime Linked to Property Purchases
Officials said the ED had earlier filed a chargesheet before a competent court outlining the alleged conspiracy, the role of the accused, and the trail of illicit funds. The agency maintains that the attachment of assets is a preventive step intended to stop the accused from transferring, selling or otherwise dissipating properties believed to be derived from the alleged proceeds of crime.
The ED said the probe is continuing and that further attachments and legal action may follow depending on the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation. Officials added that the findings of the money-laundering probe are being shared with other investigating agencies handling the predicate offences linked to the recruitment case.
Separate Attachment in Engineering Seat-Blocking Case
In a related development, the ED said it has also issued a provisional attachment order on January 21 in a separate case in Karnataka, attaching a plot and two flats worth ₹19.46 crore belonging to the BMS Educational Trust. The trust is under investigation for an alleged “seat-blocking scam” involving engineering colleges run by it.
According to the agency, the trust is accused of collecting cash from students during the admission process over and above the prescribed fees. The ED claimed that the money was collected directly from students as well as through intermediaries acting as educational consultants, and that the amounts were not reflected in the official books of accounts of the trust.
ED Says Probes Are Ongoing
Investigators have alleged that the unaccounted cash generated through the alleged sale of engineering seats was used for the personal benefit of the trustees of the BMS Educational Trust. The funds, the agency said, were laundered through property purchases and other investments, leading to the attachment of assets under the PMLA.
The investigations are ongoing, and further action will be taken based on the outcome of judicial proceedings and evidence gathered during the probes. The accused in both cases have not yet responded publicly to the latest attachment orders.
