Politics
The owner of the press admits to creating voter seals at the Jamaat leader's request.
Staff Correspondent Lakshmipur
Last updated at 07:40 on February 5, 2026
The industrialist and owner of the press, Sohel Rana, made a court confession.
A confessional statement was made in court by the printing press owner who was detained in connection with the discovery of six illicit voting seals in Lakshmipur. He confessed yesterday, Wednesday afternoon, in accordance with Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. He said at the time who had given him the order to create the voting seals.
Sohel Rana, a 40-year-old resident of Tumchar Union in Sadar Upazila and the owner of Mariam Press, is the accused who made the confession.
Six unlawful voting seals, a computer, and a mobile phone used in the operation were seized by police on Tuesday afternoon after they arrested Sohel Rana from Mariam Press on Old Court Road in the town.
Prothom Alo received confirmation of the confessional statement from Wahed Parvez, the officer in charge of the Lakshmipur Sadar Model Police Station. "Sohel Rana told the court that the seals were manufactured on the orders of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Saurav Hossain, also known as Sharif," he stated. Sharif ordered the seals to be made via WhatsApp on January 30. The seals were then created by Sohel Rana.
The confession mentions Saurav Hossain, also called Sharif (34), who is the son of Md Shahjahan of the municipality's Ward No. 4. He serves as the ward's Jamaat-e-Islami secretary. He has been hiding ever since the incident was made public.
The seals found in Lakshmipur
Saurav Hossain was dismissed from Jamaat-e-Islami after the incident was made public, on the grounds that he had damaged the party's reputation.
District Jamaat ameer SUM Ruhul Amin Bhuiyan responded, "We dismissed Saurav from the party immediately after the event," when questioned about the situation. The seals were reportedly created for him to "educate voters how to vote." But this was a careless thing to do. Furthermore, the individual whose store the seals were found is not affiliated with our party.
Police had previously detained Sohel Rana and the voting seals on Tuesday afternoon. Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate for Lakshmipur-3 constituency, voiced alarm and held a news conference later that day after the incident became known. "We have learned that the individual caught with the seals, identified Sohel Rana, is a Jamaat worker," he stated during a press conference held at his main election headquarters. He might even have a formal job. A computer and six seals have been confiscated. There must be a lot of moving parts involved in the creation of these seals. An full election engineering scheme is in operation.
Around 10:00 p.m. that same day, Jamaat-e-Islami held a press conference at the Lakshmipur Press Club following the BNP's press conference. "BNP is propagating falsehoods by connecting Jamaat with the person arrested along with the voting seals," stated Rezaul Karim, the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate for the Lakshmipur-3 constituency.
Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, a senior police official stated that the retrieved seals are being thoroughly examined. Two avenues of inquiry are being pursued. The first question under investigation is whether the seals were created with voter training or practice in mind. Second, whether there was a plot to use them on ballot papers on election day to rig votes or for any other dishonest purpose is also being looked into.
"After the confession, we are investigating the reason behind the creation of the seals and whether anyone else was involved," stated Wahed Parvez, officer-in-charge of the Lakshmipur Sadar Model Police Station. The confiscated evidence is being reviewed for the purpose of the investigation.
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