The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : People duped into giving away their voter identity cards

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

People duped into giving away their voter identity cards

Staff Reporter

Three arrested for theft of voter identity cards

Two held for distributing envelopes containing cash
390 cases of whiskey seized in Kodigehalli

BANGALORE: Monday night’s incident where one person was arrested for theft of voter identity cards at R.T. Nagar is the first such electoral malpractice reported in the city.

On Tuesday, the R.T. Nagar police arrested two other people on the same charges.

Working primarily out of Chamundi Nagar, which falls in the Hebbal constituency, the three accused seem to have either conned residents into giving them their voter identity cards or lured them with promises of money and a trip to Ajmer, according to Karnataka Forum for Dignity, which has its office in the area.

Most people that The Hindu spoke to said that they were duped into giving away their cards. Saira, a resident of Venkatashalappa Layout in Chamundi Nagar says that a person named Zameer, known to them for years, had come to her house three days ago and asked to see her voter identity card. “When I showed it to him, he said that my address was wrong and promised to get it corrected and return it in a day,” she says.

But when she and her neighbour Amina, who had also given voter identity cards of three of her family members, went to Zameer’s house, they found it locked and came back empty-handed. “I saw our voter identity cards being splashed on television only yesterday saying that I had given away my cards for money. That is when I got to know what had happened. It is such a humiliating experience with all my relatives scorning at me for doing something I did not know,” says Amina.

Abdul Razak, who works in a hotel in the area and is a resident of Seethappa Layout, said that Noorullah, the man arrested by the police on Tuesday, had come to him and asked for his voter identity card.

“I knew him so I gave it. Only when I saw the television did I realise what this man had done,” he says.

Other violations

The city police on Tuesday recovered cash and bottles containing liquor which were meant to be distributed among people in various parts of the city.

The Kumaraswamy Layout police caught two persons who were distributing envelopes containing Rs. 1,000 in Kanakanagara. The police said the envelopes had the symbol of lotus and asked people to vote for M. Krishnappa. The envelopes mentioned the name of person printing the envelopes as R. Balaji Singh.

The police recovered five envelopes containing cash. They also recovered a bundle of empty envelopes.

The police have registered a case for offence under Section 171 (e) of Indian Penal Code (bribery in connection with elections).

On a tip-off, the J.C. Nagar police raided a house in Kodigehalli and recovered 390 cases of different brands of whiskey. The police said the whiskey was kept in the room a person called Velu, who had recently taken it on rent. The police had to break open the room that was locked. The police are searching for Velu.

The J.P. Nagar police are inquiring into the event in Lord Sani Temple where about 2,000 people were being fed.

The police said the event did not have any banner or bunting of any party. The police are investigating into the purpose behind the function and the persons who have funded the event.

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