FIR against ‘EVM hacker’ Syed Shuj after poll panel rejects claims of tampering

The Maharashtra Cyber ​​Police on Sunday filed an FIR against Syed Shuji, a self-proclaimed hacker, following a complaint by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Maharashtra. The case is related to a viral video in which Shuja claimed he could hack electronic voting machines (EVMs) to manipulate election results.

The video, which is part of a special operation by India Today, shows Shuja talking to undercover reporters posing as a representative of a senior MP from the Maha Vikas Aghadi Alliance (MVA).

In the video, Shuja allegedly proposed to manipulate EVM results using technology he claimed to have obtained from the US Department of Defense. He demanded Rs 54 for his services.

After the video went viral, the Maharashtra CEO issued a statement rejecting Shuja’s claims. “Social media users have circulated a video where a person is making false, baseless and unsubstantiated claims about hacking and tampering of EVMs in Maharashtra elections by isolating the frequency of EVMs,” the statement said.

The CEO added that EVMs are autonomous machines not connected to any network, making tampering impossible. “EVMs are fully tamper-proof. The Supreme Court has repeatedly trusted EVMs. The Election Commission of India has published detailed FAQs on its website to clear doubts and myths about EVMs.”

The FIR, registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the IT Act, 2000, accuses Shuj of spreading false information and trying to undermine confidence in the election process.

In a similar incident in 2019, Shuja was accused of making false claims about EVM tampering during the Delhi elections. The authorities believe that he is now hiding abroad.