STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU/New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday conducted searches at seven locations in Jammu, Pathankot, Rewari and Karnal in connection with the police sub-inspector recruitment scam in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
The searches were conducted at the premises of arrested mastermind Yatin Yadav and CRPF constable Surender Singh among others, they said.
The CBI had taken over investigation into the case on August 3 on a reference from the Jammu and Kashmir government and registered a case on the request of J&K Government against 33 accused including then Medical Officer, BSF Frontier Hqrs, Paloura; then Member, JKSSB; then Under Secretary, then Section Officer (both of JKSSB); Ex Official of CRPF; ASI of J&K Police; Owner of a coaching centre, Akhnoor; private company based at Bengaluru; private persons and unknown others on the allegations of irregularities in written examination.
The case pertains to the leak of question paper for the examination through which 1,200 posts of sub-inspectors were to be filled by the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB), they said.
The agency has arrested 13 persons so far in connection with the case, they said.
A Rewari resident, Yatin Yadav, had allegedly leaked the question paper with the help of an employee of the printing press in Okhla.
Yadav allegedly used illicit services of touts based in Jammu and Kashmir, including constables of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), for luring candidates who were charged anything between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 30 lakh approximately for the paper, they said.
The candidates were allegedly taken to Karnal in Haryana in vehicles provided by CRPF Constable Surender Singh and a question paper was provided to them at a hotel there, the CBI said.
The leaked question paper was also allegedly provided to the candidates in Jammu.
On July 8 this year, Jammu and Kashmir administration had cancelled the police sub-inspector recruitment following allegations of irregularities and recommended a CBI probe into the selection process. Taking to Twitter, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had assured that the culprits will be brought to justice soon.
Earlier, Sinha had ordered an inquiry into the selection of police sub-inspectors after allegations of fraud in the recruitment process surfaced. The list of successful 1,200 successful candidates was declared by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board on June 4.
Over 97,000 candidates had appeared in the exam for the posts. However, soon after the declaration of the result online, unsuccessful candidates took to the street alleging fraud in the recruitment process.