Breakthrough in Aland case: SIT raids four suspects who reportedly made forged Form 7 applications

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged voter fraud in Aland has achieved a major breakthrough.

SIT sleuths on Wednesday raided the residences of four suspects, who allegedly made the forged Form 7 applications to maliciously delete genuine voters from the rolls. All the four suspects are from Kalaburagi district.

The four were reportedly working in a call centre-like set-up in Kalaburagi in 2023, from where the forged Form 7s were allegedly made.

Sources said that the SIT questioned them and also recovered multiple electronic devices which would be subjected to forensic examination. Some of these devices were said to have been used to make the forged Form 7 applications.

Following a complaint by B.R. Patil, Congress candidate in the 2023 polls, that forged Form 7s were submitted to delete the names of his supporters from the rolls, an inquiry by the Returning Officer (RO) found that of the 6,018 Form 7s, 5,994 were forged.

Miscreants had applied to delete voters misusing the credentials of other voters, with neither being in the know. Based on a complaint by the RO, an FIR was registered on February 21, 2023.

The Hindu had on September 7, 2025, reported that the investigation into the case had gone cold, as despite 18 reminders, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had not shared key technical data to geolocate the systems used to make these forged Form 7s.

Following the report and a press conference by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi flagging the case, the State government formed a SIT, led by B. K. Singh, Additional Director-General of Police, Criminal Investigation Department.

The ECI was yet to share this data. However, the SIT had achieved a breakthrough identifying suspects who allegedly made these forged Form 7 applications, said sources. However, they added that the investigation was still in a preliminary stage.