Treasury dept babu leaked Karnataka PU papers: CID

BENGALURU: The CID investigation into the two-time leak of second PU chemistry question paper has revealed that the paper was leaked from the Sub Treasury office in Hanagal taluk of Haveri district.

Kiran alias Kumaraswamy, the nephew of the suspected kingpin of the case Shivakumaraiah, has emerged as the prime accused in the case by confessing that he managed to leak the question paper twice with the help of Santosh Parashuram Agasimani, a Second Division Assistant (SDA) in the Sub Treasury office.

Addressing a press conference at his office on Wednesday, the Director General of Police of the CID, H.C. Kishore Chandra, said that the CID teams had intensified the probe to connect the dots in the case.

“During the preliminary questioning of Kiran, who was arrested on Tuesday evening, the source location from where he procured the question paper was established. However, we are investigating to know whether any other staff of the Sub Treasury office has helped Kiran in getting the paper.”

Explaining the modus operandi of Kiran, Chandra said that Kiran, with the help of Agasimani, got the chemistry question paper at the Sub Treasury office. “They took the paper out of the box and Kiran took photographs of them before keeping it back inside the box. Later, Kiran circulated the paper through his contacts,” he added.

The same modus operandi was followed in leaking the question papers twice for the exams that were scheduled on March 21 and 31, and got postponed following the leak. Based on the information provided by Kiran, the CID teams have also conducted mahazar at the Sub Treasury office.

Kiran tried to mislead cops

Kiran alias Kumaraswamy, 35, son of Shivakumaraiah’s elder brother, reportedly tried to mislead the police by claiming he was not Kiran. Further, he had tonsured his head and had shaved his moustache in a bid to conceal his identity.

Police said that Kiran, who was Shivakumaraiah’s Man Friday a few years ago and had carried out question paper leaks in various examinations, had parted ways with his uncle in 2013. Later, he had formed his own team and continued leaking question paper of various exams.

“The CID teams had credible information that Kiran was staying in Madikere. But when the team reached there, he had escaped. Finally, he was nabbed in a farm house in Tumakuru on Tuesday around 4 pm. It was difficult to identify him as he had tonsured his head and shaved his moustache to conceal his identity. He tried to mislead us by claiming that he was not Kiran. However, an informant was called in and was asked to identify him and finally it was confirmed that he was Kiran and he was arrested,” an official said.

Kiran was earlier arrested along with Shivakumaraiah by Tumakuru police in connection with similar offences. “Though they were arrested, they were released soon on bail. But this time it will be difficult for them, as they will be charged under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA). They would not be getting bail for at least a year,” the official added. On Wednesday evening, Kiran was produced before a court and was remanded to CID police custody for 10 days.

Who is Agasimani?

Santosh Parashuram Agasimani, (40), years, was reportedly working as SDA for around 10 years, and it is said he had got the job on compassionate grounds. He hails from Tergaon village in Haliyal taluk of Uttara Kannada district. “Currently he is undergoing treatment at a hospital as his right hand got fractured in a fight between his family members and relatives. He will be arrested soon after consultation with his doctors,” Chandra said.

No plans to arrest students

Meanwhile, DGP Chandra clarified that the CID had no plans to arrest any students in connection with the case. “As of now, we don’t have plans to arrest any student or parents. However, if it is found that any student had tried to procure question paper by paying money, then they would be questioned. Our focus is just to crack the racket behind question paper leak,” he added.