Indian IAS Officer Arrested for Alleged Bribery in Veterinary Exam Scam
Indian police arrested an IAS officer for allegedly accepting bribes to manipulate OMR answer sheets in a Karnataka Public Service Commission veterinary officer recruitment exam, while authorities in other nations reported major drug seizures, suspect killings in an encounter, a mob lynching of alleged robbers, and the first prison photos of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
IAS Officer Arrested in Karnataka Exam Scam
The Criminal Investigation Department arrested IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar on Sunday after questioning revealed inconsistencies in his statements. [1] Gangwar, a 2016 batch Indian Administrative Service officer who serves as Director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, acted as the KPSC examination controller from February 2024 to March 2026. [1] He was taken into custody late Saturday following about nine hours of questioning in Bengaluru on Friday and continued interrogation on Saturday. [1] Officials described him as uncooperative during the process. [1]
The FIR alleges that Gangwar received ₹1.1 crore from two candidates in return for tampering with their OMR sheets in the exam for 400 veterinary posts. [1] He faces charges under Section 318 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 10 of the Karnataka Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Corruption & Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act. [1] The state government transferred the case to the CID on July 28 after two cases were registered at Vidhana Soudha police station. [1]
The complaint came from veterinarian Manjunath, who alleged that relatives of the suspended former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa S Sahukara, along with KPSC members and staff, obtained unusually high marks despite average academic records. [1] Manjunath also claimed that some candidates who had cleared national-level competitive examinations performed poorly in the state test conducted on January 8 and 9. [1] The complaint further questioned candidates who switched off mobile phones before or on exam days and stayed at hotels and resorts outside Karnataka, where intermediaries allegedly provided questions. [1] It raised concerns about OMR sheets where candidates who left questions unanswered still secured high marks, with intermediaries offering manipulation for up to ₹80 lakh. [1] The Enforcement Directorate separately examined the irregularities and searched Gangwar’s residence in Jayamahal Extension, Bengaluru, on August 23. [1]
Suspects in Singer's Murder Killed in Police Encounter
Two alleged sharpshooters wanted in the August 26 murder of Haryanvi singer Ankit Baliyan died during treatment after an exchange of fire with Uttar Pradesh police in Shamli on Monday. [2] The suspects, identified as Mohit, 22, and Sumit, 24, both from Haryana’s Sonipat, carried a reward of ₹50,000 each. [2] Additional director general (law and order) Amitabh Yash stated that a police team intercepted the pair on Kairana Road, after which they fired at officers, prompting retaliation in self-defence that left both injured. [2] Head constables Harvinder and Pradeep also sustained bullet injuries. [2]
Police recovered three pistols, 10 live and nine spent cartridges of .30 bore ammunition, a motorcycle, a bag, a mobile phone, and ₹5,000 in cash from the suspects. [2] Mohit faced 14 criminal cases in Haryana, while Sumit had one. [2] Authorities are verifying their criminal records and continuing legal proceedings. [2] The killings represent the latest in a series of encounter deaths in Uttar Pradesh, where officials maintain they occur mostly in self-defence as part of a zero-tolerance policy against crime. [2]
NDLEA Intercepts Jihadi Drug and Opioids in Lagos
Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency seized 47,200 captagon pills worth over N1.5bn hidden in soap blocks and over 3.9 million opioid tablets valued at more than N4.6bn from abandoned shipments at Lagos airport. [3] On Saturday, August 22, 2026, operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport arrested 49-year-old cross-border kingpin Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, who arrived from Accra, Ghana, aboard an African World Airlines flight. [3] A search of his carton of local bathing soap recovered the captagon pills concealed within blocks of soap. [3] The agency noted that captagon, dubbed the “Jihadi drug” for its use in funding extremist activities, was first intercepted in Nigeria in September 2021 at the Apapa port. [3]
In a separate operation, NDLEA recovered 3,900,030 tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg, with a combined gross weight of 2,787.40kg and an estimated street value of more than N4.6bn, from four abandoned consignments at the import shed. [3] Three consignments containing 900,000 Tramaking tablets arrived on RwandAir flights from Bangladesh, while the fourth with 3,000,030 tapentadol tablets arrived aboard Qatar Airways from Amsterdam. [3] The consignments were retrieved following a joint examination on Friday, August 28. [3]
Additional recoveries included 3.350kg of Loud cannabis from a 31-year-old United States returnee in Lagos on August 19, 237g of Colorado cannabis, 316g of cocaine and 10g of heroin from a fireproof safe in Rivers State on August 25, and 728kg plus 341kg of skunk in Ondo State on August 28 and August 26. [3] More than 176,000 pills of assorted opioids were recovered in Delta State between August 26 and August 28. [3] NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa urged personnel to sustain efforts against traffickers exploring concealment in household items like soap. [3]
Mob Burns Two Suspected Robbers in Calabar
A mob in Calabar, Cross River State, burned two suspected phone thieves to death after they allegedly snatched a mobile phone along Ekpo Abasi, near Yellow Duke Street, in Calabar South Local Government Area. [4] Eyewitness Bassey Etim said the suspects were attacked and set ablaze by an angry crowd accusing them of belonging to a robbery gang terrorising the area, with both dying on the spot. [4] Another resident, Effanga Effanga, noted that phone thefts had increased recently and called on security agencies to address the issue. [4]
Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer ASP Sunday Eitokpah confirmed that the command received information about the mob action on August 30, 2026, and deployed operatives to the scene where the two unidentified men were found burnt. [4] Bodies were evacuated with local government assistance for preservation, and preliminary investigations began to identify the deceased and establish circumstances. [4] The police condemned jungle justice and urged the public to report suspected offenders to authorities rather than taking the law into their own hands. [4]
Maduro Releases First Prison Photos from Brooklyn
Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro posted photos from a Brooklyn prison showing him thinner in a gray sweatsuit flashing peace signs. [5] The images, taken June 25, were released after a U.S.-Venezuela oil deal and while he faces drug trafficking charges. [5] Maduro, in custody for eight months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, shared the photos on his X account as a gift of hope to family and supporters, stating that “we will remain strong, serene, and confident” and that “Venezuela will be reborn.” [5] He added that the images were sent to his grandsons and granddaughters and all who love them, assuring that “we stand firm, with our hearts full of your love,” and referenced his wife Cilia who faces related charges. [5]
The post came two days after President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough giving the U.S. majority control over 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil. [5] Maduro and his wife are expected to go on trial in New York in June 2027, having pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to send cocaine into the U.S. [5]
What to watch next: Investigators continue examining Gangwar’s role in the KPSC exam while the Enforcement Directorate pursues its separate probe, NDLEA operations target further concealment methods, and the U.S. trial of Maduro and his wife remains scheduled for June 2027.
