Another arrest in PSC exam case; Additional Secretary R Hari nabbed after returning to Kochi
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Crime Branch has arrested Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) Additional Secretary R Hari, who had been absconding after being named an accused in the irregularities in the examination for the post of Planning Board Chief.
A special investigation team of the Crime Branch arrested Hari from a relative's house in Kochi on Friday night, when he arrived there from Coimbatore, where he had been staying in hiding.
Hari had switched off his mobile phone soon after being named an accused in the case. According to the police, he had been staying at a yoga centre in Coimbatore since Monday, accompanied by his wife and another relative. The investigators traced his location using the phone number of one of his companions.
Crime Branch IG Ajitha Begum said Hari would be produced before the Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
Hari is the second senior PSC official to be arrested in connection with the case. The Crime Branch had arrested former PSC Deputy Secretary P Satheesh on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) will question PSC Secretary Saju George on Friday in connection with the examination irregularities. The team will also move the court on Monday seeking custody of Satheesh, who is currently in judicial remand, for further interrogation.
The investigation concerns alleged manipulation in the examination conducted for the post of Planning Board Chief. The SIT had recently submitted a report before the Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram naming Satheesh and Hari as accused in the case.
The probe had earlier established that 10 questions carrying a total of 58 marks were left unevaluated in the answer sheets. Investigators also found that the candidate who secured the first rank would not have even made it to the rank list had the alleged manipulation not taken place.
The arrest of the two senior officials follows criticism from the Kerala High Court over the slow pace of the investigation. PSC Chairman M R Baiju had appeared before the SIT for questioning on Wednesday.
