Stolen Voting Machine Recovered By Pune Rural Police, EVM Theft Detected In Saswad
Tikam Shekhawat
Pune/Saswad, 7th February 2024: With the Lok Sabha elections on the horizon, the Pune district administration is gearing up for the electoral process. However, a concerning incident occurred at the Tehsildar office in Saswad, where thieves broke into the office and stole a demo voting machine, which was among the Voting Machines (EVM, Control Unit, VVPAT) stored there.
Superintendent of Police (Pune rural) Pankaj Deshmukh confirmed that the stolen voting machine has been recovered in the wee hours today.
The thieves reportedly broke the lock of the Tehsildar office to gain entry on Sunday night. The stolen control unit, a crucial component of the voting system, was kept on an iron platform along with other voting machines. The incident came to light on Monday morning when the lock was found broken.
Saswad police received information about the break-in, prompting a visit to the spot by Police and District Collector Dr Rajesh Deshmukh. CCTV footage from the area was obtained by the police, revealing three individuals involved in the theft.
Theft of #VotingMachine Raises Concerns Ahead of #LokSabha Elections in #Pune pic.twitter.com/33Sy7aNjge
— Punekar News (@punekarnews) February 7, 2024
A case was registered at the Saswad Police Station, and a search was launched to apprehend the culprits who managed to escape. The Central Election Commission has taken serious note of the incident, initiating necessary actions to address the security breach.
Two security personnel have been suspended by the police administration due to their absence during the incident.
The matter has been promptly reported to the Central Election Commission, emphasizing the theft of the control unit.
