Bogus voting for ZP polls in Pune: 9 booked, fake Aadhaar and voting cards seized

The six accused have been identified as Mohammad Ehsan Shah (20), Arshad Roshan Ali (22) and Akhilesh Bijuprasad Kumar (20), all natives of Uttar Pradesh currently residing at a labour camp in Kesnand; and Dilip Chavan (36), Premdas Ramchandra Rathod (30) and Ashwini Premdas Rathod (27), all residents of Washim district in Maharashtra and currently working as labourers in the Wagholi and Kesnand areas.

As per the FIR, Shah, Ali and Kumar allegedly cast bogus votes using fake Aadhaar cards, while the other three were allegedly found in possession of bogus voting cards at the polling centre.

Senior police inspector Nandakumar Gaikwad of Wagholi police station said, “Except the woman, we have arrested the five men accused of bogus voting. All six accused are labourers. A probe is on to know who gave the bogus Aadhaar cards and Voting cards to the accused persons and sent them to the voting centre in Kesnand. Further investigation is on.”

Police suspect that the accused were promised money for bogus voting by some local persons who may be linked to candidates contesting the ZP and Panchayat Samiti elections.

In another incident, three persons, including two women, were nabbed for allegedly attempting bogus voting at a polling centre in Prayagdham village of Haveli taluka around 10.30 am on Friday.

Navnath Kanchan (41), the election officer at the spot, lodged an FIR at the Uruli Kanchan police station in Pune rural. The accused have been identified as Suvarna Manohar Panchal (48), Vanita Mohan Tathe (38) and Lakshman Prakash Badgae, all residents of Kalepadal in the Hadapsar area of Pune city. Police said Badgae is a native of Bidar district in Karnataka.

All three have been booked under BNS Section 172 (personation at elections). Sections related to forgery have not been invoked yet, police said.

According to a press release issued on Sunday, Panchal allegedly attempted to vote in the name of Sunita Rajaram, Tathe tried to vote as Roshni Kishor Juremlani, and Badgae posed as Mahesh Haridas Kutwal using bogus voting cards.

Police inspector Sachin Wangade said, “An FIR has been registered as per the complaint received from the election official. Notices have been issued to the accused persons for further investigation.”

Police are probing how the three accused procured the bogus voting cards and who instructed them to go to the polling centre in Prayagdham.

Meanwhile, an offence was registered against a man for illegally using a mobile phone and taking photographs inside a polling centre in Junnar taluka around 5 pm on Friday. The accused has been identified as Umesh Chavan (43), a resident of Wadaj in Junnar, police said.

An FIR was lodged against Chavan at the Junnar police station under BNS Section 223 (disobedience of order lawfully promulgated by a public servant) and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.