In the run-up to the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, a large-scale voter deletion scam rocked the Aland constituency, with investigators now uncovering a cash-for-deletion racket that may have influenced the electoral roll. According to the Karnataka Police Special Investigation Team (SIT), each fraudulent application submitted to the Election Commission (EC) for voter removal fetched a payment of Rs 80 to the operators involved.
Between December 2022 and February 2023, a staggering 6,018 such applications were filed in Aland, amounting to Rs 4.8 lakh in total payouts. The SIT’s findings are part of an ongoing probe into what is now being seen as one of the more serious voter list manipulation cases in the state.
The voter deletion controversy gained national attention after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi flagged it under his broader “vote chori” (vote theft) allegations. Last week, SIT teams raided premises linked to BJP leader Subhash Guttedar, a four-time MLA from Aland, who lost the 2023 election to Congress candidate B R Patil. The searches were aimed at tracing the money trail and possible political links behind the voter list tampering.
A Data Centre In Kalaburagi At Heart Of Scam
SIT sources said that investigations have traced the origin of the deletion applications to a data centre based in Kalaburagi district headquarters. This centre, reportedly run by Mohammed Ashfaq and Md Akram, is believed to have been the hub of the operation. Ashfaq, a local resident, was first questioned by police in early 2023 after the deletions came to light, but was let off after claiming innocence and promising to hand over his electronic devices. He later left the country and is currently believed to be in Dubai.
Fresh evidence uncovered by the SIT, including Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR) and seized digital devices, suggests Ashfaq remained in close contact with a group of associates — Akram, Junaid, Aslam and Nadeem. The four are suspected to have worked as data entry operators, using the data centre to access the EC portal and submit thousands of deletion requests.
Last week, searches at properties linked to these individuals reportedly led to the recovery of a laptop used to process the applications, along with other electronic evidence. Crucially, investigators found documents indicating that the group received Rs 80 per deletion, a sum paid per fraudulent request.
Mobile Numbers, Fake Registrations, And Deepening Probe
The SIT has also found that at least 75 mobile numbers were used to register on the EC portal to facilitate the deletions, many of them linked to unsuspecting individuals such as poultry workers, daily-wage earners, and even relatives of police personnel. Investigators are now trying to determine how the group managed to bypass security protocols on the EC portal and submit such a large volume of requests using what appear to be fake or misused credentials.
While the origin of the payments remains under investigation, the SIT on 17 October searched premises linked to Guttedar, his sons Harshananda and Santhosh, and their chartered accountant, Mallikarjun Mahantagol. During the raids, officials seized over seven laptops and several mobile phones, which are being examined for digital traces of financial transfers and voter data handling.
Ground Reality: Only 24 Of 6,018 Deletions Valid
A door-to-door verification carried out by election officials after the deletions were flagged revealed that only 24 of the 6,018 names listed for removal were actually ineligible to vote, confirming the scale of the fraud. The majority of voters listed for deletion were still residing in the constituency and unaware that requests had been made in their names.
Despite mounting evidence, Guttedar has denied any involvement. “B R Patil made these allegations to gain political mileage and appease Rahul Gandhi in hopes of securing a ministerial berth,” Guttedar said. Patil, who won the Aland seat for the Congress in 2023, has been vocal about irregularities and has called for accountability.
A Test Case For Electoral Integrity
The Aland voter deletion case has become a key test of the state’s ability to safeguard electoral processes from digital manipulation and political misuse. While Saudi-style voter roll manipulation might once have seemed distant, the Aland episode highlights how technology, when misused, can distort democratic processes, all for a price as small as ₹80 per vote.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
