Ballot-stamping plot: Jamaat leader escapes, trader in custody

In a dramatic twist ahead of the national polls, police have filed a case against Jamaat e Islami leader Sourav Hossain Sharif and local businessman Sohel Rana after seizing six illegally manufactured rubber stamps to be used for stamping ballots in Lakshmipur. 

Authorities allege the seals were intended to be used for casting fake ballots, sparking outrage and political firestorms across the district.

The case, lodged late Tuesday night by Sadar Model Police Station Sub Inspector Humayun Kabir, accuses Sharif of ordering Sohel to produce the seals and store them in his printing shop. Acting on a secret tip-off, police raided Maryam Printers on Old Court Road, recovering the rubber stamps inscribing 16 squares, a computer, and a mobile phone. 

Sohel was arrested on the spot, while Sharif, the secretary of Ward 4 Jamaat of Lakshmipur Municipality, remains on the run.

Investigating officer SI Monir Hossain confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Sohel has been handed over to the court, though remand has not yet been sought. “The other accused is absconding. Efforts are underway to arrest him. We are probing whether others are involved,” he said.

The revelations have ignited fierce political sparring. 

BNP leaders wasted no time in linking the scandal to Jamaat, circulating Sharif’s photo on Facebook and branding Sohel a Jamaat worker. 

At an emergency press conference, BNP Joint Secretary General and Laxmipur 3 candidate Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie accused Jamaat of orchestrating “fraud and conspiracy” to rig the elections. 

“This is how election engineering is done. Jamaat has created a situation where not only burqas, but sealed ballots are hidden inside burqas. They will attempt fraud under cover,” Annie declared, urging the government, Election Commission, and law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant.

Jamaat leaders, however, scrambled to contain the fallout. Rezaul Karim, Jamaat’s Dhaka Metropolitan North Secretary and a candidate for the same seat, denied Sohel’s affiliation with the party, insisting the police had already arrested the guilty party. 

District Jamaat Ameer SUM Ruhul Amin Bhuiyan went further, announcing Sharif’s immediate expulsion from the party. “We expelled Sharif from Jamaat as soon as the seals were seized. A press release will follow,” he said.

The case statement reveals damning details: Sharif allegedly ordered five rubber stamps from Sohel on January 30, even sending a voice message via WhatsApp to confirm the request. 

Police say the rubber stamps were designed to facilitate fake voting and manipulate the upcoming national elections.

As the scandal deepens, Lakshmipur has become the epicentre of a political storm. With one accused behind bars and another in hiding, the incident has raised urgent questions about election integrity, party accountability, and the lengths to which political actors may go to influence the ballot box.