Karnataka Police arrested two people on charges of providing shelter and aid to the kingpin of the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) exam scam to escape safely.
According to police, the arrested individuals were identified as Shankar Gouda Yalawar of Shahapur and Dilip Pawar of Kalaburagi.
The kingpin of the scam, DR Patil, had been living in Shankar’s flat on rent, and this arrangement was facilitated by Dilip, say the police.
An advance sum of Rs 10,000 was taken by Dilip from RD Patil, and given to Shankar. Both Dileep and Shankar allegedly colluded to provide shelter to Patil, and helped him escape, IANS reports.
On November 6, a video of Patil escaping from the flat by jumping off from the compound wall of the apartment had gone viral on social media.
Police say that Patil has 16 cases registered against him, most of them related to recruitment scams. More than 20 arrests have been made by the Karnataka Police in the scam. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently in Opposition in Karnataka, has been demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.
However, The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge has been maintaining that the scam is being thoroughly investigated by the Karnataka Police Department and that some candidates involved in the scam used Bluetooth devices for cheating.
Rejecting the demand for the CBI probe, he reiterated that the probe is being conducted efficiently.
After securing bail in the Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scandal, Patil had filed a nomination from the Afzalpur Assembly constituency in Karnataka as a candidate from the Samajwadi Party.
After obtaining bail in the scam, his role in the KEA scam surfaced. Earlier, Patil was also arrested in connection with the infamous Police Sub Inspector (PSI) recruitment scandal.
The opposition, Karnataka BJP, has been accusing the police and government of protecting Patil.
The Congress government and its ministers have been accused of being “puppets” in the hands of Patil by BJP MLA Vijayendra.
"It is not possible for him to escape unless he is supported by the ministers and MLAs. Patil is not a common man. He has direct contact with and support of top leaders of the Congress government. He manages to escape even after an SP ranked officer getting information about whereabouts indicates the role of invisible hands," he had said.
Vijayendra slammed Minister Priyank Kharge, stating that the present district in-charge minister had levelled charges in connection with the accused against the previous BJP government.
"However, now, it is evident that the Congress party is totally supporting him. Supporting the alleged accused is unfortunate and a failure of administration," Vijayendra said.
