Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted search in the residence of Sangeeta Arya, member of Rajasthan Public Service Commission at Ajmer. The commission is the recruitment body which organises examination for government jobs.
Sangeeta Arya is wife of former chief secretary Niranjan Arya, who is a confidante of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Niranjan Arya was also advisor to former chief minsiter post retirement.
Both husband-wife had also contested assembly election on Congress ticket. Niranjan Arya lost last election from Sojat while Sangeeta Arya lost 2013 elections from the same constituency.
Sangeeta Arya was appointment as member of RPSC on October 14, 2020.
The search is being conducted on a day when interviews of veterinary officer and junior legal officers are underway in the commission.
An ACB team from Jaipur led by additional superintendent of police Surendra Singh Rathore is conducting the search operation.
The ACB enquired Sangeeta Arya about the recruitment related to Executive Officers and Congress leader Gopal Keshawat who was caught taking bribe of Rs 18.50 lakh against final selection in EO examination. The ACB team left Ajmer after the enquiry.
The ACB will probe another RPSC member Manju Sharma also in this case. Manju Sharma is wife of famous Hindi poet and former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas. She was appointed member in October.
Sangeeta Arya is not the only RPSC member under radar
Special Operation Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police, last year, had arrested Babulal Katara, an RPSC member in connection with paper leak of teacher's recruitment examination 2022. He was later dismissed from r he commission after approval from the President of India.
A week back, SOG has found irregularities in Sub Inspector Recruitment examination 2021 and has made couple of arrests including Jagdish Bishnoi, who has sold the paper to many candidates. The Police is on a look out for the mastermind Unique Bhambu who has fled to Dubai.
The police have detained 15 trained sub inspectors who were under suspicion. This included the topper Naresh Kumar. SOG is doing thorough inquiry including handwriting verification to ascertain their involvement in paper leak.
“SOG and ACB has been trying to connect dots. They have arrested many people who have worked on ground. Now they are trying to look at big fish in the pond of corruption,” said a senior police officer.
What is the case?
The Sikar ACB had received a complaint for two candidates regarding Gopal Keshawat demanding bribe against their final selection in EO examination 8 months back in July last year.
The bribe was demanded through an agent Anil Kumar who sought Rs 40 lakh each for selection. As per the deal, Rs 25 lakh was to be given in advance and remaining Rs 15 after selection. Later the deal was said to be closed at Rs 25 lakh.
The ACB had testified the case and then laid trap to catch agents Anil Kumar and Brahm Prakash taking bribe of Rs 18.50 lakh. The victim through another agent Ravindra Sharma send Rs 7.50 lakh to Gopal Keshawat at his residence in Pratap Nagar. The ACB caught them red handed and during prove, names of RPSC members Sangeeta Arya and Manju Sharma was mentioned.
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