The presiding officer of a polling centre in
Bogura’s Gabtoli upazila and the agent of a chairman candidate were arrested allegedly for trying to commit fraud by stamping ballot papers during the first phase of
Upazila Parishad election in the country on Wednesday.
The arrested are Shahjahan Hossain, presiding officer of Kusumkhali Government Primary School poll centre, and Imdadul Haque, an agent of the chairman candidate and president of the district Awami League's municipal unit Rafi Newaz Khan.
Gabtoli Upazila executive officer (UNO) Nusrat Jahan Banya confirmed the information to the newsmen and said that the incident occurred around 10am at the polling centre.
Soon after being informed, the duo was arrested for attempting to bring in ballots which were stamped outside the centre, the UNO said.
"The presiding officer Shahjahahn and agent Imdadul confessed that they took 300 ballot papers for the chairman’s post, 300 for the vice chairman’s post, and 300 for the woman vice chairman’s post outside of the centre and stamped them there," said Bogura Additional Superintendent of Police Sumon Chandra.
Police have also recovered Tk 50, 000 from their possessions, however, they were made arrested and the stamped ballot papers, ballot rolls, were seized, added the ASP.
