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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday, August 23, searched the Bengaluru and Bareilly residences of IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar as part of its investigation into alleged irregularities in a Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment examination.
Gyanendra, a 2016-batch Karnataka-cadre IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh, is currently serving as Director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in the Karnataka Department of Industries and Commerce. He had earlier served as Controller of Examinations at the KPSC from February 2024 to March 2026, when the recruitment examination for veterinary officers was conducted.
The searches were carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), according to media reports. The ED has not, however, publicly established that Gyanendra himself accepted bribes or participated in the alleged recruitment irregularities. His role as the KPSC examination controller has brought him under scrutiny in the ongoing investigation.
ED officials from the Bengaluru Zonal Office arrived at Gyanendra's apartment off Jayamahal Road on Sunday afternoon in three vehicles, accompanied by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. The officials were initially stopped at the entrance by security personnel, who reportedly said they needed instructions before allowing them into the premises.
Media reports added that the officials waited nearly two hours before gaining access after Gyanendra communicated with the security staff over the phone. Other reports said the security guard initially told the officials that Gyanendra was not at home and that his phone was switched off.
The ED team subsequently found Gyanendra's flat locked. Officials called a local locksmith to open the door using a duplicate key. A neighbour was brought in as a witness while the door was opened and the search was conducted. The officials reportedly seized a printer from the residence. It is not clear what other material, if any, was recovered during the search.
A separate search was also carried out at Gyanendra's residence in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Officials have not disclosed whether Gyanendra was present at either of the two locations.
The searches came days after the ED began examining alleged irregularities in the recruitment of veterinary officers through the KPSC. The case centres on allegations that candidates were approached by middlemen and asked to pay between Rs 70 lakh and Rs 80 lakh each to secure selection.
The allegations emerged after irregularities were reported in the final selection process for veterinary officers. The Vidhana Soudha police have registered FIRs in connection with the allegations, which have since come under the ED's money laundering investigation.
The ED conducted its first major round of searches in the case on August 18, covering 21 premises across Karnataka and Gujarat. These included the KPSC office in Bengaluru, the residence of former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukar, the residence of KPSC member Shanta Hosmani, premises linked to alleged middlemen and the offices of Edutest Solutions Pvt Ltd, which was responsible for the digital evaluation of examination papers.
Gyanendra's name came into focus even before Sunday's searches after reports on Saturday suggested that the IAS officer had gone missing after travelling from Bengaluru to Delhi. He had reportedly taken a last-minute IndiGo flight to Delhi on August 20 for Rs 30,200 and became unreachable after arriving in the national capital.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge later rejected suggestions that Gyanendra had gone missing or was evading investigators. He said the officer had travelled to his native place in Uttar Pradesh because of a family emergency involving his father's health.
The clarification came a day before the ED searches at Gyanendra's properties.
