Times News NetworkBengaluru: A day after his whereabouts became the subject of intense speculation, IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar’s house in an upscale locality of Bengaluru was searched by Enforcement Directorate Sunday in alleged jobs scam in Karnataka Public Service Commission.ED searches are in connection with veterinary recruitment examination irregularities allegations, and Gangwar was then controller of examination of KPSC.ED officials reached the officer’s house in Jayamahal around 2pm Sunday. High drama prevailed when security guards said officials cannot enter the house without the officer’s permission. After Gangwar spoke to the security guards, ED officials were let inside. Since Gangwar’s house was locked, ED officials called in a keymaker to open the door around 5pm.Gangwar is the second senior officer to be subjected to searches after officials raided and chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar’s house and KPSC’s offices in Bengaluru and in Ahmedabad on Aug 18.Initially, cases were registered at Vidhana Soudha police station in July, alleging a scam in the recruitment of 400 veterinary officers, with bribes of around Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh. The cases were transferred to CID, following which ED took up the money laundering investigation.Officials are verifying documents available at Gangwar’s house, including CCTV footage of the building. He was transferred after allegations of irregularities surfaced in March. Gangwar is currently serving as director of MSME, commerce and industries department.According to sources, officials learnt a couple of other IAS officers are also staying in the same residential complex. ED has not made any official statement about the searches. With searches expedited to continue till midnight, they ordered dinner for ED sleuths at Gangwar’s house.After an IAS officer allegedly claimed on Saturday that Gangwar was missing for 2-3 days, home minister Priyank Kharge clarified that Gangwar was in his hometown in UP following a medical emergency in the family. He further stated Gangwar had applied for leave for a week.According to sources, Intelligence Bureau and Central Crime Branch police verified where Gangwar was before Kharge gave the statement to the media. Officials got evidence of Gangwar travelling from Kempegowda International Airport to Delhi, where he hired a private vehicle to go to his place in Uttar Pradesh.
