Man gets 3 years for attempting to flee with ballot paper in Kushtia
Police on duty became suspicious and detained him before he could exit the centre
A mobile court has sentenced a man to three years of rigorous imprisonment for attempting to leave a polling centre with a ballot paper during voting in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia.
He was also fined Tk1,000, with an additional 15 days' imprisonment in default of payment.
The convict, Shahin Malitha, 28, is the son of the late Abdul Malitha of Naoda Gobindapur village under Talbaria Union in Mirpur upazila.
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The incident took place at around 10am on Thursday (12 February) at the Talbaria High School polling centre while voting was underway. Mirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Assistant Returning Officer Nazmul Islam confirmed the incident.
According to sources from the mobile court, Shahin received a ballot paper at the centre, instead of placing it in the designated ballot box, he submitted a blank white paper. He then attempted to leave the polling station.
Police on duty became suspicious and detained him before he could exit the centre. During questioning, the accused confessed to the offence, according to police.
The duty judicial magistrate later sentenced him to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a Tk1,000 fine. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to serve an additional 15 days in jail.
