Two, including presiding officer, arrested over ballot paper fraud in Bogura

They were arrested with stamped paper ballots, ballot rolls, and Tk 50,000

Police have arrested the presiding officer of a polling centre in Bogura’s Gabtoli Upazila and the agent of a candidate running for the chairman’s seat for trying to commit fraud by stamping paper ballots.

The incident occurred at the Kameshwar Pur Government Primary School centre in the Upazila on Wednesday during the first phase of the sixth Upazila Parishad elections, said Gabtoli Upazila executive officer (UNO) Nusrat Jahan Banya.

The detainees were Presiding Officer Shahjahan Hossain and Imdadul Haque, an agent working for pineapple symbol chairman candidate and the district Awami League's municipal unit President Rafi Newaz Khan.

They were arrested for attempting to bring in ballots stamped outside the centre, the UNO said.

“Presiding officer Shahjahahn and pineapple candidate agent Imdadul 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 and stamped them,” said Bogura Additional Superintendent of Police Sumon Chandra.

Police arrested them and seized the stamped ballot papers, ballot rolls, and Tk 50,000, he said.