Army constable claims to hack EVM for Rs 2.5 crore, held by police while accepting Rs 1 lakh advance

Gave an offer to leader of opposition in legislative council Ambadas Danve

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : An army constable was apprehended by police while giving an offer to the leader of opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve for hacking the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) ahead of the upcoming elections. The accused, identified as Maroti Natha Dhakne (42, Kharwandi Kasar, Pathardi), was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 1 lakh as an advance payment.

Ambadas Danve, who is actively campaigning for candidates in the state, said that Dhakne met him while campaigning in Pune, and claimed to possess a specialized technology chip capable of manipulating EVMs. Despite turning a blind to his claim, Dhakne persisted, even meeting Danve in person to discuss the proposal in his office. Danve then lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police Manoj Lohia. Upon receiving the complaint, Lohia directed ACP Dhananjay Patil to conduct a thorough investigation. Patil ordered API Dnyaneshwar Dhikki, and his team to carry out a trap.

Dhakne caught while appeting Rs 1 lakh

Danve's brother, Rajendra Danve, invited Dhakne to the city, and the two met at a hotel located opposite the central bus stand. Police officers in plain clothes surrounded the area, posing as regular customers. During the interaction, Dhakne offered to settle for Rs 1.5 crore for the work. Danve requested for a demonstration, which the Dhakne refused. As soon as Dhakne accepted Rs 1 lakh as an advance payment he was caught by the police.

BA pass, works as constable in the army

Investigations revealed that Dhakne, is a BA pass-out, currently serves as a constable in the Udhampur cantonment of Jammu and Kashmir. It has been discovered that he had taken loans through two online loan apps. Dhakne was on a 55-day leave, with the last day of his leave falling on Monday. A case has been registered against him at the Kranti Chowk police station. However, authorities are now questioning why Dhakne specifically targeted Danve for his fraudulent activities.