Bengaluru, Dec 30 (NationPress) - The Karnataka Police have taken into custody the Chief Railway Ticket Inspector on accusations of soliciting Rs 50 lakh to aid candidates in successfully completing the Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) examination.

The suspect has been identified as Govindaraju, a 49-year-old Chief Railway Ticket Inspector associated with the South Western Railways. The Vijayanagar police have lodged an FIR under sections: 318 (4), 61(1)(a), and 3(5) of the BNS Act.

A suo motu case was initiated by the police against the accused based on a tip-off. Bhimashankar Heroor, PSI at the Vijayanagar police station, had filed a complaint against Govindaraju and others.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (West) S. Girish stated on Monday, "PSI Bhimashankar Heroor and head constable Girish Kumar T.N, who serves as an informant at their station, received information from a source. The details suggested that Govindaraju, functioning as a Chief Ticket Inspector in South Western Railways at Majestic, was illicitly reaching out to candidates preparing for competitive exams such as KAS, PDO, Village Accountant, and others through intermediaries."

The accused allegedly promised to assist candidates in passing these exams in exchange for monetary compensation, according to the DCP.

Following this tip-off, senior officers were notified, and directives were issued to verify the information, locate the accused, and conduct a thorough investigation.

After collaborating with the informant, it was confirmed that on December 28 at around 9 p.m., Govindaraju was present at the residence of Ramesh in Vijayanagar 4th Cross. Subsequently, PSI Bhimashankar and Girish Kumar arrived at the scene and observed Govindaraju exiting Ramesh's house. They followed and apprehended him, as reported by the DCP.

"When asked to show his mobile phone, Govindaraju attempted to flee but was caught. Upon initial questioning, four mobile devices were discovered in his possession, for which he provided unsatisfactory explanations. To further investigate, he was taken to the station for interrogation. During questioning, it became evident that Govindaraju was implicated in a case registered in 2018 at the CCB office regarding exam fraud," the DCP stated.

The accused confessed that for exams like PDO and KAS prelims, he would reach out to candidates via intermediaries, offering them success in exchange for Rs 25 lakh for PDO positions and Rs 50 lakh for KAS prelims, according to the DCP.

Govindaraju instructed candidates to fill their OMR sheets with answers they knew and leave the rest blank, assuring them that he would fill in the correct answers later. As collateral, he collected their certificates, admit cards, and cheques.

Upon examining one of the phones, a Realme device, authorities found 46 names along with images labeled as "cheque" and "document," the DCP noted.

It was revealed that Ramesh's daughter, residing in Vijayanagar, was due to take the KAS exam. Govindaraju had visited to discuss assisting her in passing the exam, he added.

"As a government employee, Govindaraju was deceitfully reaching out to candidates, assuring them of job placements by passing competitive exams through illicit means. He was taking large sums of money and documents, misleading them. Legal action has been sought against Govindaraju, the intermediaries involved, and others participating in this fraud," DCP Girish concluded.