EVM theft reported in Saswad ahead of LS elections

Police officials said that considering Lok Sabha election preparations, at least 40 EVM have been stored at Saswad Tehsil Office in Pune district

In a shocking incident just months ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections, three unidentified men stole a Control Unit (CU) of an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) from Saswad Tehsil Office on Sunday night. The incident has raised concerns over the security of electoral processes in the region.

According to Deshmukh all remaining machines are safe and are in good condition. (REPRESENTTIVE PIC)

Police officials said that considering Lok Sabha election preparations, at least 40 EVM have been stored at Saswad Tehsil Office in Pune district. On Monday at around 11 am, office staffers noticed that the lock of the godown was broken and after cross-checking it was noticed that a CU was missing.

Pune rural police superintendent Pankaj Deshmukh, said, “A case was lodged on Monday at Saswad Police Station following the theft of a CU of an EVM. Fortunately, out of the 40 EVM machines stored, only one, which was a demo unit, was stolen by the unknown perpetrators.’’

According to Deshmukh all remaining machines are safe and are in good condition.

After the incident, police collected all CCTV camera footage installed in the locality to ascertain the identity of the accused. In one of the CCTV footage, it was seen that three unidentified masked individuals entered in Saswad tehsil office godown and stole the CU of one of the EVM machines.

The theft of the EVM, a cornerstone of India’s electoral process, has triggered a heightened sense of vigilance among police officers, particularly with the Lok Sabha Elections looming on the horizon. The Pune Rural police have deployed a specialised team to various locations in an intensified effort to track down and apprehend the suspects responsible for the theft.