In a first, four BBMP officials arrested in votegate

The votegate has become a major political controversy in the state ahead of next year’s Assembly polls

Intensifying the probe into the voter data theft scandal, Bengaluru police on Saturday arrested four BBMP officials and questioned an employee of Chilume Educational, Cultural and Rural Development Insitute, the NGO at the heart of the scam.

It is for the first time that BBMP officials have been arrested in the votegate that has become a major political controversy in the state ahead of next year’s Assembly polls.

Separately, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) suspended Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner K Srinivas and BBMP Special Commissioner (Administration) S Rangappa on the orders of the Election Commission of India.

In the evening, Halasuru Gate police arrested Revenue Officers (ROs) Chandrashekar K (Mahadevapura), Suhail Ahmed (Shivajinagar) and Bheemashankar (Chickpet) and Assistant Revenue Officer (AR) Mahesh (RR Nagar).

An RO works as an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for poll work in an Assembly constituency. An ARO works as an Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) and is in charge of three to four wards.

Srinivas R Gowda, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), confirmed the arrests and said the officials were being subjected to further questioning.

Police have invoked IPC sections related to conspiracy and abetment against them.

According to a senior police officer, the four officials were questioned for hours after they appeared before the investigating officer after being served notices. Towards the end of the day, Halasuru Gate police inspector Jagadish R and his team decided to arrest them.

Police believe that the four revenue officials put their signatures and seals on blank ID cards issued to Chilume workers. The NGO later filled up these cards, proclaiming its workers as Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

A BLO card is issued only to government employees such as schoolteachers, anganwadi workers and meter readers.

Chilume workers allegedly used these ID cards to collect Aadhaar, voter ID details and other sensitive data from citizens in the name of creating awareness.

Chilume is believed to have gathered the data with the intention of selling it to candidates for the 2023 Assembly elections.

“The revenue officials were not supposed to put their signatures to the blank ID cards,” a senior police officer said.

Police also seized the seals that were put on ID cards issued to Chilume workers.

Police also questioned Shiva Kumar, an employee of Chilume, for hours on Saturday before summoning him for questioning again. He had collected the ID cards from the RO offices and delivered them to the Chilume office.

Kumar told the police that he just followed the instructions of his superiors.