Suspended PSI Naveen Prasad knew investigation techniques and escaped from the police by changing his appearance, said the CID.
Arrested accused suspended PSI Naveen Prasad
A suspended police sub-inspector (PSI) involved in the PSI recruitment scam in Karnataka, who had been on the run for eight months, was finally arrested on the evening of Monday, 28 March.
Naveen Prasad (42) was tracked down to the Outer Ring Road in Bengaluru, from where he was picked up.
The arrest was made by the investigating team of CID officials who were pursuing the suspended PSI attached to the Byadrahalli police station.
He had been on the run since the PSI scam came to the fore. A case was registered against him along with several other accused.
According to the CID sources, Naveen Prasad worked as a PSI in the Crime wing. He allegedly functioned as a mediator and even facilitated a transaction worth ₹85 lakh between a PSI aspirant to the prime accused.
A team of CID officials led by Deputy Superintendent of Police BK Shekhar was closely pursuing his movements.
According to CID sources, since the accused knew the techniques of crime investigations, he managed to evade the police officials by not using any of his phone numbers known or social media profiles.
The CID officials approached a court, got him designated as a proclaimed offender, and got issued a non-bailable warrant against him. They even got his property confiscated, CID sources told South First.
However, Naveen Prasad managed to stay away from his family members and moved around in a car through the neighbouring states.
The accused used to operate from different phone numbers and used various SIM cards.
He also changed his appearance and grew a beard to conceal his identity, a senior police officer said.
Based on credible information that the accused was moving in a Telangana-registered car, a team of CID officials intercepted the vehicle on the Outer Rind Road on Monday and arrested him.
He was produced before a court on Tuesday and the CID officials sought his custody for 10 days for his interrogation.
According to CID sources, Naveen Prasad was in contact with another accused, PSI K Harish, who was arrested in June 2022 for his involvement in the PSI recruitment scam.
However, soon after Harish was arrested, Naveen Prasad learnt about his it and went underground.
That meant the CID team pursuing the investigation did not have him under surveillance any more.
The CID team arrested more than 100 people — including the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) for Recruitment, Amrit Paul.
In February this year, the CID sleuths submitted the third charge sheet in the ongoing PSI recruitment scam investigation to a Bengaluru court.
The government also cancelled the recruitment examinations after the scam came to the surface.
It was alleged that the OMR sheets of the candidates were tampered with after the beneficiaries were bribed.
Another accused in the PSI recruitment scam, Ganapathi B Bhat, ended his life at his house in Herur village in the Siddapur taluk of the Uttara Kannada district late last week.
Bhat was questioned by CID officials over his involvement as a middleman in the recruitment scam and on the transfer of officials.
According to the Uttara Kannada district police, Bhat took the extreme step due to humiliation as he was in severe debt and many of his money-lenders had come to his house asking for their money.
According to the police, Bhat was the president of the Nelemavi Seva Cooperative Bank, and quite an influential person, with friends in the department.
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