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Two persons were detained with Tk 180,000 (1.8 lakh) while ‘buying votes’ in Naraynaganj-1 (Rupganj) constituency around 2:00am on early Sunday.
Locals caught them in Gutiabo area of Rupganj Sadar union and handed them over to police after mob beating.
The detainees are: Mohammad Naeem Mia and Md Shobuj. Both of them are residents of Gutiabo area. The detainees have claimed to be supporters of independent candidate Shahjahan Bhuiyan.
However, Shahjahan Bhuiyan’s electoral coordinator, mayor of Kanchan municipality Rafiqul Islam has denied the allegation.
He claimed that the opposition men are conspiratorially spreading rumours.
Inspector of Narayanganj’s Bandar police station, Rezaul Karim, in-charge of election duty in Rupganj told Prothom Alo, "Local people caught two people while buying votes and informed us. Later we went there and arrested them."
"Cash of Tk 180,000 was recovered from them. Local residents said that they were distributing money for the kettle (electoral symbol of an independent candidate). They are being questioned," he added.
In a video footage showing the two of them being questioned after they were caught, Naeem Mia was heard saying that Mamun Mia, a supporter of the kettle symbol, had given him the money for distribution. They were supposed to distribute Tk 2,000 per voter. Meanwhile, the locals caught them.
One of the locals who caught the two, Md Parvez claiming to be a supporter of the boat symbol, told Prothom Alo that they were guarding the area at night hearing about votes being bought.
Later, when they found those two men moving suspiciously, they detained them and recovered the money from them. When the police were informed, they arrested the duo and took them away, Parvez added.
