Police are investigating a claim that a political party representative had locked nine ballot boxes at an early voting centre in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, yesterday.

IGP secretariat (public relations) ACP assistant head Ramli Mohamed Yusoof said the incident was alleged to have happened at 7.10 pm.

"It is claimed that the individual locked the nine ballot boxes without the approval of the Election Commission secretariat assistant officer on duty at the centre," he said at a media briefing at Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said the person concerned had been released on bail while the case was being investigated under Section 3(1) of the Election Offences Act 1954.

Meanwhile, Ramli said, police were also investigating two reports made by PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah Anwar (at the Travers police station) and Tian Chua (at the Jinjang police station) that the indelible ink to mark voters was not permanent and could be washed off.

- Bernama