ED reaches out to TS police for probe into TSPSC paper leak suspecting money laundering

Police reportedly asked Enforcement Directorate officials to approach the Chief Secretary to probe money laundering angle in the leak of question papers of TSPSC examinations

Enforcement Directorate officials reportedly met the top police officials in Hyderabad a few days ago seeking detailed information on the probe into the TSPSC question paper leak but were asked to approach the Chief Secretary to inquire about the case.

Highly placed sources said ED officials had met a senior police official, who is understood to have made it clear that if they were keen on probing the money laundering angle in the question paper leak, they need to approach the government through the Chief Secretary.

It is believed that the ED got into the scene only after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the question paper leak sent notices to State BJP president Bandi Sanjay and TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy to furnish proof of their allegations on the involvement of certain key politicians in the leak. “Obviously, it is clear the ED wants to put the State government in a spot over the leak in the name of money laundering,” sources requesting anonymity said.

The Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) sudden decision to call TSPSC Chairman B. Janardhan Reddy and Secretary Anita Ramchandran to seek more details is being linked to the ED approaching the State police. Apparently, the SIT doesn’t want to be seen as questioning only a few people and not seeking any information from the Chairman and Secretary of the TSPSC.

In fact, Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy has been demanding that the ED must probe the case since there was money laundering in the episode with the police identifying the accused selling the Group-I and other papers at huge sums to the candidates. Since some NRIs too have appeared for the exams and are suspected to have benefitted from the paper leak, Mr. Revanth Reddy argued with the ED that money laundering was involved and they have a perfect case to probe.

The probe by the SIT so far on certain candidates, who scored more than 100 marks in the Group 1 Preliminary examination, revealed that they had qualified for the UPSC civil services mains examinations too. “After questioning of these candidates we could make out that many of those, who secured over 100 marks were not connected to the leak,” sources pointed out. But, those working in the Public Service Commission, who scored above 100 are under scanner, police sources noted.