Saswad : In a concerning incident, a demonstration electronic voting machine (EVM) was reported stolen from the Saswad tehsildar’s office on the Saswad-Narayanpur road during the night between Sunday and Monday. The theft was discovered when tehsil officials opened the premises for the day’s work on Monday, prompting immediate action from law enforcement.
Upon realizing the theft, tehsil officials promptly informed the Saswad police, who registered a case of theft against three unidentified men captured on CCTV footage near the location of the incident. The stolen item, a demo EVM, was part of a collection of 40 EVMs stored in the office’s storeroom.
Highlighting the situation, Superintendent of Police (Pune rural) Pankaj Deshmukh revealed, “The burglars specifically targeted the demo EVM among the 40 units stored in the office. Unfortunately, there were no guards deployed at the tehsildar’s office at the time of the theft.”
Deshmukh further explained, “The stolen EVM is a functional unit, primarily used for demonstration purposes to educate voters for upcoming elections. While it does not affect the integrity of actual election processes, the theft raises concerns about the security of election-related equipment.”
To address the situation, law enforcement has formed a dedicated team to identify and apprehend the individuals responsible for the theft and recover the stolen EVM unit. Authorities emphasize the importance of safeguarding election equipment and ensuring the secure storage of such devices to prevent any potential tampering or misuse.
