Jamaat leader among two accused in Lakshmipur illegal voting seals case

Police have filed a case against two individuals in Lakshmipur after seizing six illegally prepared voting seals yesterday (3 February).

Sub-Inspector Humayun Kabir of Sadar Police Station filed the case as the complainant, naming local Jamaat leader Saurabh Hossain Sharif and businessman Sohel Rana as accused.

Police showed Sohel as arrested in the case and produced him before a court this afternoon (4 February), said Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Hossain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi.

Arrested Sohel is the son of Khorshed Alam from Tumchor village under Ward-1 of Tumchor union in Sadar upazila.

Acting on a tip-off, police seized six voting seals bearing 16 boxes each, along with a computer and a mobile phone, from his shop yesterday afternoon. He was later taken to the police station.

Based on information provided by him, as well as WhatsApp conversations and voice messages, Jamaat leader Sharif was also named as an accused in the case, according to the police.

Sharif is the secretary of Jamaat's Lakshmipur municipality Ward-4 unit and the son of Md Shahjahan of South Banchanagar area.

Following the seizure, both the BNP and Jamaat held separate press conferences last night (3 February).

At a press briefing, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, the BNP's joint secretary general and candidate for Lakshmipur-3 (Sadar) constituency, alleged Jamaat's involvement in the seal incident and claimed that detained Sohel was a Jamaat activist.

In response, Rezaul Karim, Jamaat candidate for the same constituency and secretary of Jamaat's Dhaka North city unit, stated at a counter press conference that Sohel was not associated with Jamaat.

District Jamaat Ameer Ruhul Amin Bhuiyan said Sharif had been expelled from the party immediately after the incident and that a press release regarding the expulsion would be issued.