The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized incriminating documents, digital devices, and other records during search operations across seven premises in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on 5 November 2026, in connection with the alleged evaluation scam linked to the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) Group-I Main Examination. The searches, conducted by the ED's Hyderabad Zonal Office under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, mark a significant escalation in the probe into what officials allege was a fraudulent manual evaluation exercise.

Key Premises Searched

The ED conducted searches at the residence and office of retired IPS officer P. Seetharamanjaneyulu, who served as the then-APPSC Secretary. Investigators also searched the offices of Camsign Media Pvt. Ltd. — the private firm entrusted with the manual evaluation work — and its Managing Director P. Madhusudhana Rao.

Searches extended to Aavasa Resort Haailand in Chinakakani village, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh — the premises where answer scripts were allegedly kept and the evaluation exercise was purportedly carried out. The ED also searched the offices of TruGrader Services, a division of Stone Media Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd., which had conducted the earlier digital evaluation for APPSC, along with its Managing Director Akella Peri Srinivasa Rao, and an individual named Mahamkali Raghuram, who was reportedly engaged in connection with the evaluation work.

What the Alleged Scam Involves

The ED initiated its money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Andhra Pradesh Police under Sections 320 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code — scheduled offences under the PMLA. The FIR alleges irregularities in the manual evaluation of the APPSC Group-I Main Examination answer scripts, in the course of which an amount of ₹1,14,32,312 is alleged to have been paid to a private party.

According to the ED, following an Andhra Pradesh High Court order in 2021 that set aside the earlier digital evaluation and directed manual re-evaluation, the work was entrusted to Camsign Media Pvt. Ltd. from 27 November 2021 to 19 February 2022 — a period during which there was reportedly no regular chairman at APPSC. The answer scripts were allegedly moved from official premises to Haailand Resorts, Chinakakani, where they were kept for 84 days between December 2021 and February 2022.

No Genuine Evaluation Allegedly Conducted

The central allegation is that no genuine manual evaluation of the answer scripts actually took place. Instead, it is alleged, the marks from the earlier digital evaluation were simply mapped as manual evaluation marks. On 1 January 2022, the exercise was publicly declared to be in its final stages, and a cheque for ₹1,14,32,312 was released to the private party.

The entire exercise was subsequently discarded. Answer scripts were retrieved and re-evaluated at official premises under CCTV surveillance after 19 February 2022, and final results and the selection list were declared on the basis of that subsequent evaluation. The ED contends that the payment of ₹1,14,32,312 was made for a service allegedly not rendered, and constitutes proceeds of crime within the meaning of Section 2(1)(u) of the PMLA.

Statements Recorded, Property Documents Under Verification

The ED confirmed that statements of accused persons, including that of retired IPS officer Seetharamanjaneyulu, were recorded during the searches. Property documents recovered during the operations are currently under verification, the agency added. This probe is part of a broader pattern of ED action in examination irregularity cases across India, where financial transactions linked to such scams are being examined for money laundering.

What Comes Next

With incriminating material now seized and statements on record, the ED is expected to advance proceedings under the PMLA, potentially including arrests and asset attachment orders. The case is being closely watched by civil services aspirants in Andhra Pradesh, thousands of whom appeared for the APPSC Group-I examination and had their results delayed as a consequence of the disputed evaluation process.