In a shocking revelation, Hyderabad has become a hotbed for illegal voter data collection, posing a severe threat to the integrity of the electoral process. Recent investigations have exposed a clandestine network operating in the city, ruthlessly gathering personal information of voters through illicit means. This illicit activity includes unauthorized access to government databases, covert surveillance, and exploitation of unsuspecting citizens. The collected data is believed to be used for fraudulent purposes, such as voter manipulation and identity theft. Local authorities and law enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to dismantle these criminal operations and bring the perpetrators to justice. This alarming discovery highlights the urgent need for strengthened security measures to protect the sanctity of the democratic process in Hyderabad.
There have been reports of illegal voter data collection in Hyderabad, Telangana. In one case, an activist filed a police complaint after he was visited by a group of people who asked for his voter ID card and other personal information. The group claimed to be from a non-governmental organization (NGO) that was conducting a survey on voter awareness. However, the activist suspected that the group was actually collecting data for political purposes.
In another case, a local news outlet reported that a group of people were going door-to-door in the city and asking residents for their voter ID cards and Aadhaar numbers. The group claimed to be from the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, the ECI denied any involvement in the data collection.
The ECI has warned against the illegal collection of voter data. The commission has said that only authorized officials are allowed to collect voter data. The ECI has also said that residents should not share their personal information with anyone who they do not trust.
The illegal collection of voter data is a serious issue. It can be used for voter fraud, identity theft, and other crimes. Residents should be aware of this issue and should take steps to protect their personal information.
The modus operandi is posing as Booth Level Officers (BLO), a few agents have allegedly been collecting phone number, voter ID, and other details from residents in the old city remote localities in Hyderabad.
Recently, in Shaheen nagar, Pahadi Shareef and adjoining areas in remote old city in Hyderabad, the BLOs are knocking the doors and collecting the data with innocent people.
Earlier, on May 4 at 11.40 am when a few persons knocked on the door of Srinivas Kodali in Hyderabad’s Miyapur, which comes under the Serilingampally Assembly constituency. A man identified as Suresh, who claimed to be a Booth Level Officer (BLO), asked for details like name, phone number, address, voter ID card, and the number of family members in the house.
Srinivas, who is also an activist and familiar with the activities of the Election Commission of India (ECI), immediately suspected that the visitor was not a BLO as claimed. Further, when Srinivas insisted that he show his credentials, the man did not have a valid identity card. When confronted with more questions, Suresh said that he had been sent by the local corporator, Uppalapati Srikanth, who belongs to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party. Srinivas filmed this conversation and shared it on Twitter, expressing shock at the illegal collection of citizen data.
Srinivas filed a complaint with the Miyapur police the same day seeking an investigation into the matter. In his complaint, Srinivas wrote, “…few agents posing as official Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officers started going door to door collecting personal details of people. One of the agents showed a photo (not original). When asked to call the Electoral Registration Officer, he called one Manikanta who claimed to be from the office of the Miyapur corporator.”
#Khabarlive followed up on the case and verified with the Election Registration Officer (ERO) T Venkanna, who is also the Deputy Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, whether the said man was associated with the ECI. The ERO sent the video of the alleged BLO to officers in the Chandanagar unit and after two days of internal inquiry, he confirmed that the man in the video was not a BLO. “We checked with our staff and nobody recognised him. Certainly, he is not associated with ECI,” ERO Venkanna said.A BLO is a grassroots official who has to be a resident of the same area as the polling station he is assigned to. A BLO has to be a government, quasi-government or retired government servant.
#Khabarlive also checked with the Miyapur police if they have registered a case in the matter. Inspector N Thirupathi Rao refused to share any details. According to Srinivas, he has not received any update from the police station and has decided to escalate the issue by seeking the intervention of the Cyberabad Police Commissioner.The alleged illegal data collection assumes significance as the state is scheduled to go to the polls in December this year. Serilingampally is represented by MLA Arakepudi Gandhi of the ruling BRS party.
When #Khabarlive reached out to Corporator Uppalapati Srikanth, he did not offer any clarity on whether he sent the persons to carry out the exercise. He said that such data collection was allowed. However, though all political parties do collect voter data and engage agencies for the same, the person who went to Srinivas’s house pretended to be a BLO.
