KARACHI: Three presiding officers were among five people detained by law enforcement personnel on Thursday on charges of alleged bogus voting and other malpractices during the polling for by-election in NA-246, officials said.

One presiding officer and a voter were sentenced and fined by Rangers under the special magisterial powers given to law enforcement personnel, the officials said.

“Five people, including three presiding officers, were detained during the polling in different areas of NA-246 on charges of bogus voting etc,” said DIG of Karachi-West Feroz Shah.

“Their possible affiliation with any party is being investigated,” the police officer said.

“Rangers arrested two individuals, including a presiding officer,” said a spokesperson for the organisation.

They were trying to cast bogus votes at polling station-75 in Delhi School, Karimabad, Block-14, F.B. Area.

Syed Majid Ali, Presiding Officer, was sentenced to three months’ jail and Rs5000 fine while Rehan Ahmed, a voter, was awarded six months’ imprisonment and Rs5000 fine, the officer said.

The Rangers’ statement did not mention as to which candidate they were trying to cast bogus votes for, but sources said that they were trying to cast bogus votes in favour of the PTI candidate. The PTI leaders refuted such reports and claimed that it was a plot to ‘defame’ the party.

The DIG West told Dawn that a woman presiding officer was also detained, but her identity was withheld.

The sources said that Rangers detained a woman assistant presiding officer from polling station-105 set up in a Gharibabad dispensary. She was detained because her stamp was not available there. Sources said that during the initial probe, the woman presiding officer said that a woman voter had taken away her stamp. Later, she was reportedly released.

The sources said that another assistant presiding officer, Javed Siddiqi, was detained at a polling station in Gharibabad on charges of bogus voting. Besides Rehan, another voter Nasir was detained on charges of bogus voting.

Meanwhile, Rangers reportedly detained two MQM workers from KDA school polling station in Block-14 of F.B. Area on charges of threatening polling agent, Zahid Jadoon.

Law enforcers also detained a suspicious man from Abdul Haq School in F.B. Area’s Block-14. Polling was also marred by other complaints.

Polling at Abdul Haq School polling station was suspended for 45 minutes as voters complained that polling agents were pressing them to cast votes in favour of their candidates. Law enforcers brought polling agents outside the polling station.

In Major Tufail Shaheed School, women complained that police personnel were trying to find out who they were voting for.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2015

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