ACE Punjab makes progress in police recruitment scam probe

LAHORE: Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab has made key progress in Punjab Police recruitment scandal and recovered some money from the main accused taken from the candidates.

Punjab Anti-Corruption officials have arrested the operational manager of the Candidate Testing Service (CTS) in the scam, who had collected money from the candidates for facilitating recruitment in Punjab Police.

According to ACE officials, CTS operational manager Amjad Javed had received millions of rupees from candidates. “Accused Amjad Javed has returned Rs. 7,00,000,” according to the anti-corruption officials.

The accused will be produced before the court for further remand today, officials said.

During the investigation accused Javed disclosed that he had received several millions of rupees from the candidates intending for police jobs in Jhang and Chiniot. He charged 3,00,000 to 4,00,000 rupees from the candidates for constable jobs and received money from over 50 candidates in Chiniot alone.

“I was operating through a front man Asghar from Lalian tehsil who is an official of the Meteorology Department”, he said.

“I was an overall in-charge of recruitment through CTS in police across Punjab. Paper setting, paper marking, dispatching and result compilation was my responsibility,” he said.

“In the modus operandi of the fraud, the candidates, who had paid money, would leave the answer sheet without attempting any question. Such candidates re-attempt the paper after a couple of days at the place arranged by the accused,” an ACE official said.

“1109 candidates had attempted written tests for jobs in Punjab Police,” anti-corruption official said.

It is to be mentioned here that the matter of tampering with the recruitment test for various posts of constables, lady constables, drivers and computer operator was referred to ACE Punjab on the direction of the court.