Karnataka SIT finds Rs 80 paid for every fraud voter deletion application in Aland seat
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Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged voter list irregularities in the Aland Assembly constituency has found that a data centre operator was paid Rs 80 for each fraudulent voter deletion, Indian Express reported.
According to the SIT, a total of 6,018 applications for voter name deletions were submitted between December 2022 and February 2023, amounting to an estimated Rs 4.8 lakh in payments.
The Aland case is among those cited by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his 'vote chori' allegations against the BJP.
The SIT, which took over the Aland voter deletion probe on September 26, has identified a data centre in Kalaburagi district headquarters as the location from which the applications were allegedly submitted. Officials quoted in the report said the investigation, which was first handled by local police after the deletions came to light in February 2023, and later by the CID cyber crime unit before being transferred to the SIT, has pointed to the involvement of a local resident, Mohammed Ashfaq.
Questioned in 2023, Ashfaq was let off after he claimed innocence and promised to surrender electronic devices in his possession. He moved to Dubai subsequently.
The SIT’s investigation into the voter data manipulation case has revealed that Ashfaq was allegedly in contact via internet calls with associates Md Akram, Junaid, Aslam, and Nadeem, according to analysis of seized devices and IP records. Searches at their properties last week reportedly uncovered evidence of a data centre in the Kalaburagi region used for tampering with voter lists, where each deletion was allegedly priced at Rs 80. The probe indicates that Akram and Ashfaq operated the centre, while the others worked as data entry operators, with key recoveries including a laptop used to process the applications.
Following these recoveries, the SIT on October 17 searched properties linked to BJP leader Guttedar, his sons Harshananda and Santhosh, and their chartered accountant associate Mallikarjun Mahantagol. Officers reportedly seized over seven laptops and multiple mobile phones during the raids and are now tracing the source of funds used for the alleged payouts.
The inquiry has also revealed that 75 mobile numbers, ranging from those of poultry farm workers to relatives of policemen, were allegedly used to register with the Election Commission portal to place requests for changes in voter lists of Aland.
The SIT is still investigating how the data centre operators gained access to the EC portal using fake credentials to submit voter deletion requests. According to the report, the identities used in these applications were entered without the knowledge of either the Aland-based applicants or the voters concerned.
Meanwhile, Guttedar, a four-time MLA from Aland, has denied any role in the alleged voter deletion scheme, claiming the accusations were politically motivated. He alleged that his rival, B. R. Patil, made the charges for personal and political gain, aiming to secure a ministerial position and win favour with Rahul Gandhi.
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Assam: Principal of govt school held for 'sexual abuse' of student
Tezpur (PTI): The principal of a government school in Assam’s Sonitpur district has been arrested for alleged sexual abuse of a female student, a police officer said on Saturday.
The Class 9 student had alleged that the principal made lewd comments and touched her inappropriately during Saraswati Puja celebrations on January 23.
“The girl confined in her mother, as she was afraid to attend school after the incident. The family members filed a complaint at Missamari police station. Based on it, the principal was arrested on Thursday,” the officer said.
The accused, the principal of Missamari Higher Secondary School, is also the president of the All Assam Higher Secondary Schools Principals’ Association.
An investigation is uderway, he added.
