The world most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden is a voter in Bihar's Jehanabad district if a voter identity card issued in his name by the Election Commission of India is to be believed.
Osama Bin Laden is not alone. Voter identity cards in this district, known as a Maoist stronghold, have been issued in the names of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, actor Shabana Azmi and slain Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pramod Mahajan and his son Rahul.
But all these voter identity cards are fakes. "These are fake voter identity cards issued by some racketeers here," Jehanabad District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal told rediff.com over telephone on Friday.
He said these fakes were being made by counterfeit experts in the district. "I had ordered seizure of all fake voter identity cards and ordered a probe into it," he said.
According to district administration officials, thousands of counterfeit voter identity cards have flooded Jehanabad district, particularly in rural areas.
Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Sudhir Kumar Rakesh said that fake voter cards were being made in different parts of the state. "It is a matter of serious concern for us," he said.
