Key Suspect Arrested in Karnataka Veterinary Recruitment Scam

The Karnataka Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested Basavaraj Kannale at the New Delhi airport on Sunday as he allegedly prepared to fly to Uzbekistan. Kannale is suspected of acting as a middleman in a conspiracy involving the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment of 400 veterinary officers. Investigators allege that low scoring candidates were offered recruitment in exchange for 80 lakh rupees, with 40 lakh rupees required as an advance payment to manipulate OMR answer sheets.

Kannale is a syndicate member of Tumkur University and has been linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bidar. While one report describes him as a BJP leader, another notes that a BJP unit leader in Bidar denied that Kannale is a party worker. Opposition leader R Ashok stated that photographs of Kannale with party leaders do not prove involvement in the scam.

This arrest follows the August 29 detention of Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, a 2016 batch IAS officer who served as the KPSC controller of examinations from 2024 to March 2026. The CID found that Gangwar was in frequent contact with Kannale during the period the alleged scam occurred.

In related developments, the Karnataka High Court declined to grant immediate interim protection from arrest to the suspended KPSC chairman, Sahukar S Shivashankarappa. Shivashankarappa has denied the allegations and claimed the case is politically motivated. He was previously suspended by the Governor on August 25 regarding a separate case involving the recruitment of his daughter.

The investigation is ongoing, with the CID searching properties in Bidar and the enforcement directorate examining financial transactions. Some BJP leaders, including B Y Vijayendra Karandlaje, have called for a CBI inquiry to ensure transparency.