Two staffers arrested over sharing candidate details

Bengaluru: Two employees of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) have been arrested in connection with an alleged leak of personal details of candidates shortlisted for interviews for junior engineer posts in the Water Resources Department.

The arrested employees have been identified as technical assistant Sharanappa Adavalli and senior assistant Swamidas. Vidhana Soudha police arrested the two following an investigation into allegations that information about candidates shortlisted in the 1:3 ratio had been shared with intermediaries from within the commission.

The alleged irregularity came to light after some candidates complained to the KPSC about attempts to extort money in the name of securing government jobs. The candidates reportedly submitted audio recordings and WhatsApp conversations in which intermediaries allegedly claimed to represent the commission and promised jobs in return for lakhs of rupees.

Based on the complaints, KPSC Assistant Secretary B.N. Shobha filed a complaint at the Vidhana Soudha police station, following which police began an investigation. During the initial stage of the probe, police arrested three alleged intermediaries. Their questioning reportedly led investigators to another suspect, who was subsequently taken into custody.

Investigators then traced the source of the candidate information and allegedly found evidence suggesting that details of shortlisted candidates had been leaked from within the KPSC itself. Based on the information gathered during the investigation, police arrested the two KPSC employees and are questioning them to establish their alleged role in the information leak and determine the extent of the network involved.

The case has once again brought the recruitment process of the state public service commission under scrutiny. The investigation is expected to focus on how confidential candidate information was accessed, who received the details and whether the information was subsequently used to target candidates with fraudulent job offers. Police are continuing their probe into the alleged recruitment racket and are examining the evidence collected from the intermediaries and the arrested employees.