Police in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, Maharashtra, have arrested an Army jawan, Maruti Dhakne (42) after he allegedly demanded Rs 2.5 crore from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve to manipulate electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Danve, the leader of the opposition in the state legislative council, filed a complaint after Dhakne purportedly claimed he could manipulate EVMs using a chip to favor a specific candidate, in exchange for money to clear his debts.
The deal was finalized at Rs 1.5 crore, with Dhakne allegedly taking Rs 1 lakh as a token amount from Danve’s brother, Rajendra Danve, in a hotel near the central bus stand.
However, a police team, informed by Ambadas Danve, apprehended Dhakne while he accepted the payment.
Commissioner Manoj Lohiya stated, “The accused is facing a huge debt. He did this trick to get out of his debt. He knows nothing about the machine (EVM).”
Dhakne, a resident of Pathardi in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, and posted in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, has been charged under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 511 (attempt to commit an offense).
