27.65 pc turnout in first phase of Bihar polls till 11 am
Patna (PTI): A total of 27.65 per cent of 3.75 crore voters exercised their franchise till 11 am in the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections on Thursday, an official said.
Begusarai district recorded the highest polling percentage so far at 30.37, followed by Lakhisarai (30.32) and Gopalganj (30.04).
Opposition RJD, in an X post, alleged, "During the voting in the first phase, electricity is being cut off intermittently at the strong booths of the Mahagathbandhan with the intention of slowing down the voting. Slow voting is being deliberately caused. Please, the Election Commission, take immediate cognisance of such rigging with 'malicious intent' and 'malafide intentions' and take prompt action."
Bihar Chief Electoral Office, however, dismissed the allegations, saying, "This allegation is completely baseless and misleading. Voting is taking place smoothly at all polling stations in Bihar. The Election Commission of India is following all standard protocols to ensure that the voting process is fair, transparent, and uninterrupted. There is no basis for such misleading propaganda."
Senior politicians, including Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, INDIA bloc's CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav, VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, and Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' were among those who cast their votes in the first few hours of voting.
Voting began at 7 am for 121 seats amid tight security arrangements, an official said, adding it will continue till 5 pm.
In the first phase, a total of 3.75 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates, including top leaders such as Tejashwi Yadav and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of the BJP.
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Woman duped of Rs 25 lakh in fake Canada visa scam; 1 held
Shimla (PTI): A woman has been arrested from Punjab for allegedly duping another woman of Rs 25 lakhs by promising her to arrange a visa for Canada, police said on Monday.
The accused has been identified as Manju Kumari, a resident of Punjab.
Senior Superintendent of Police SSP Shimla Gaurav Singh said that Manju had contacted the woman several months ago and had promised her to arrange a visa for Canada.
"After this, she asked for money for the same from the victim, which she transferred to her on multiple occasions. However, as time went by, Manju started to make various excuses and ignored her calls," the SSP said.
Upon suspecting being defrauded, the victim's brother registered a complaint, and a case was registered under sections 318 (4) (cheating), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and 352 (2) (intentional insults designed to provoke a breach of peace) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the SSP said.
"Police teams were sent to Haryana and Punjab, but she kept evading arrest as she kept changing her locations as well as her mobile numbers. However, the police teams successfully arrested her on Sunday from a flat located in Kharar in Punjab," he said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, and the defrauded money is also being recovered, he added.
