Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths Sunday arrested an accused in the police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment scam case, ending his nine-month run.
The accused, Naveen Prasad V, was attached to the Byadarahalli police station as a sub-inspector. After his name cropped up in the PSI recruitment scam, he was suspended from service.
A police official said that Prasad had travelled across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, visiting several temples during his run.
Naveen was using burner sim cards procured from Haryana but never contacted his family members or friends on the phone as he was aware that their phone numbers would be on the police radar.
However, he was visiting a friend’s house in Hegganahalli in Bengaluru, and the police received information about it. On March 27, the police followed him from the house and arrested him near Nagarabhavi when he was resting inside a car.
A CID officer said Naveen never used credit or debit cards and stayed away from mobile phones. He had taken a friend’s car registered in Telangana, and it became his “mobile residence” all these days. He carried clothes and all the necessary items in his car.
Naveen joined as a constable 20 years ago and was promoted as a sub-inspector.
Last year, when the PSI recruitment scam came to light, the CID arrested many successful aspirants who allegedly had forged OMR sheets or used Bluetooth devices in the examination hall.
During questioning, one of the successful candidates confessed to the police that he had paid Rs 30 lakh to Naveen to get him through the exam. When police issued a notice, Naveen did not appear for questioning but went absconding.
He also applied for anticipatory bail, which the Karnataka High Court also rejected.