The police have registered an FIR against 14 people, including Rajarajeshwari Nagar Congress MLA Munirathna, in connection with the seizure of 9,896 voter ID cards from an apartment in Jalahalli.
The FIR was registered by Jalahalli police on a complaint by Bhaskar J R, assistant executive engineer BBMP attached to the flying squad.
Munirathna and others, including seven women, have been booked under sections of the Representation of People Act 1951 and 1988 and Indian Penal Code for bribery, undue influence, criminal conspiracy, and disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant. The suspects also included flat owner Manjula Nanjamuri and tenant Rekha. No arrests have been made so far.
In his complaint, Bhaskar alleged that Manjula had rented out her flat to Rekha who had colluded with others and was involved in the collection of voters ID cards and unsigned counterfoils. “Rekha took the house on rent about a month ago. The investigation is in its initial stage and we are verifying documents — EPICs, counterfoils, papers with phone numbers and the rental agreement,” said a police officer.
Munirathna told DH, “I am being targeted by my opponents. I am made accused because one of my pamphlets and my ‘Vote for Congress’ card were found at the flat.
“I do not know any of them (persons named in the FIR) personally, but I know they are my voters and a few leaders of my constituency,” he added.
Munirathna said a group of BJP workers headed by one Rakesh barged into the flat and claimed to have discovered the EPICs. Later, Congress supporters arrived, followed by JD(S) workers who created a ruckus. “It was only after that the flying squad and the police reached the spot,” he said.
“Rakesh is the son of Manjula Nanjamuri’s husband’s brother. Rakesh is a BJP worker and there is no evidence of token advance or rental agreement between Rekha and Manjula Nanjamuri,” he added.
“Most of the bundles of EPICs found in the flat are from four slums close to four mosques in my constituency which has been a Congress belt for long and my opponents knowing this very well, conspired against me,” said Munirathna.
On Thursday, it came to light that another FIR was registered against Munirathna for allegedly supplying T-shirts and shorts worth Rs 95 lakh to people in his constituency to lure them to vote for him on May 6.
Based on a complaint registered by AEE Chandrappa, a complaint was lodged with the Sadashivanagar police station on May 7. Chandrappa alleged he and his team had found a truck intercepted by a group of people at Pujari Layout in Ashwath Nagar. The officials rushed to the spot and forced open the truck to find hundreds of cartons and plastic bags. The officials, with the help of police and the witnesses, opened the boxes to find as many as 5,018 T-shirts with Munirathna’s photographs on them along with 23,393 shorts.