Army man arrested for demanding Rs 2.5 crore to tamper with EVMs in Maharashtra

New Delhi: An Army jawan has been arrested for allegedly demanding Rs 2.5 crore from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve for allegedly tampering with EVMs in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, police said on Sunday.

Danve, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council, lodged a written complaint with the police alleging that the accused, Maruti Dhakane (42), had demanded money from him claiming to have allegedly tampered with the electronic voting machine through a chip.

The accused claimed that this chip can help a particular candidate get more votes. The accused made the claim to repay his loan, police said. He doesn’t know anything about EVMs.

According to the police, around 4 pm on Tuesday, the accused met Rajendra Danve, younger brother of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Ambadas, at a hotel near the bus stand here. After negotiations, the deal was finalised for Rs 1.5 crore, the official said.