KPSC exam scam: CID traces Rs 1.52 crore money trail, 60–80 questions allegedly leaked
Mangalore Today News Network
Bengaluru, Sep 22, 2026: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing the alleged KPSC exam scam has traced a money trail of around Rs 1.52 crore and found that 60–80 questions were allegedly leaked to candidates, according to a probe report cited by well-placed government sources.
According to the report, Rs 92 lakh was deposited into two bank accounts — one with Om Lakshmi Souharda Sahakari Sangha in Tilakwadi and another with Kotak Mahindra Bank. The payments, ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, were allegedly made by candidates identified as Siddharth, Basavaraj V, Mahendra and Niranjan.
The report also states that candidates Kiran Gowda, Mohammed Sohail and Salim Onti allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh, Rs 20 lakh and Rs 30 lakh in cash, respectively.
The CID has debit-frozen Rs 69.2 lakh in the two accounts. Another Rs 71.18 lakh was debit-frozen in the accounts of key suspect and alleged mastermind Basavaraj Kannale and his wife. The agency also seized Rs 5.76 lakh in cash from Kannale.
Investigators also recovered a diamond and gold necklace valued at around Rs 22 lakh, allegedly purchased by IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar for his woman friend, Yaashi Jaiswal. Her statement has also been recorded.
Gangwar, a 2016-batch IAS officer and a key suspect in the case, served as KPSC Controller of Examinations from February 2024 to March 2026. He was transferred as Director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in June.
Gangwar and Kannale are currently in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a separate investigation into the alleged irregularities. Both had earlier been arrested and questioned by the CID.
According to the report, the CID has so far questioned 40 candidates, including 29 named in the FIR. Kannale allegedly approached several candidates either directly or through intermediaries.
The investigation also found that 60–80 questions were allegedly leaked to candidates, while around five candidates were allegedly given practice in answering them. An intermediary identified as Pawan reportedly explained how the alleged leaks and practice sessions were arranged.
Three villas in the Orchid Nirvana gated community near Devanahalli in north Bengaluru were identified as locations where the questions were allegedly leaked. Investigators also found that three cars were allegedly used to transport candidates to and from the examination centre.
The CID recovered digital evidence, including WhatsApp conversations involving Kannale, candidates and intermediaries. It also seized documents related to the Veterinary Officers’ Recruitment Examination.
Investigators further traced transaction records at a jewellery showroom on Commercial Street, allegedly linking Gangwar with the candidates. An apartment complex belonging to Gangwar’s brother, Kamalapati Gangwar, was also identified. The keys to the premises were reportedly recovered from Kannale’s residence, along with CCTV footage from the location.