HAILAKANDI, 7th FEBRUARY:
An incident involving the creation of a fake voter list to obtain Indian passports has surfaced in Hailakandi District.
Following the initial arrest of passport applicant Ahmed Hussain Barbhuiya, Hailakandi Police apprehended lawyer Kazi Abu Raihan, associated with the Hailakandi Bar Association, and produced them CJM court yesterday.
Charges have been filed against the two accused under sections 420/467/471 of the Indian Penal Code.
The court rejected their bail applications and ordered Ahmed Hussain and Abu Raihan to be remanded in judicial custody until February 19.
According to police sources, Ahmed Hussain Barbhuiya, a resident of the Dholchhara Part II in South Hailakandi, had submitted documents to the SP office in Hailakandi for passport verification a few days ago.
Upon preliminary investigation, discrepancies were found in the certified copy of the voter list Ahmed Hussain had submitted for verification. Contacting the Election Department of the district, substantial electoral fraud was uncovered.
The certified copy of the voter list submitted by Ahmed Hussain for verification, dating back to 1960, was entirely fabricated, according to police information.
Initially, Ahmed Hussain, 30 years old, was arrested on charges of government data fraud.
When questioned by the police, Ahmed Hussain stated that the lawyer of the Hailakandi Bar Association, Kazi Abu Raihan, had provided him with the certified copy of the voter list.
Following Ahmed Hussain’s statement, the police arrested lawyer Kazi Abu Raihan.
On the other hand, news of the lawyers’ arrest by the police led to a tense situation in the local bar association.
Members of the Hailakandi Bar Association stated that a person does not need any direct assistance from a lawyer to obtain certified copies of voter lists and claimed that it was unreasonable to arrest lawyer Kazi Abu Raihan.
On the other hand, according to a top source in the Hailakandi police, several more individuals could be arrested in connection with the case of creating a fake voter list.
