NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan in connection with a year-old extortion case and alleged ties to gangster Kapil Sangwan, also known as Nandu.
The arrest follows the emergence of an audio clip featuring an alleged conversation between Balyan and the notorious gangster, who is currently operating from abroad.
According to police sources, Balyan was initially detained but subsequently arrested for failing to cooperate during questioning. The Crime Branch is expected to present him before a Delhi court tomorrow, seeking his custodial remand to advance the investigation.
The controversy erupted after the BJP released an audio clip in which Balyan could be allegedly heard instructing gangster Nandu to threaten and extort money from a builder in the city.
The audio clip intensified political tensions in the capital, with the BJP accusing the AAP of harboring individuals with criminal tendencies.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva launched a scathing attack on the ruling party, citing the recent conviction of AAP MLA Naresh Yadav in a 2016 case of Quran desecration. “Arvind Kejriwal’s party shelters individuals who insult religious sentiments and are connected to heinous crimes,” said Sachdeva, further alleging links between AAP leaders and international terror outfits.
The AAP, however, dismissed the arrest as politically motivated. Party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh called the audio clip “fabricated” and accused the BJP of resorting to desperate measures.
“The BJP has yet again mocked the justice system with fake claims,” Singh said, reiterating that the courts had already stayed the dissemination of the audio clip.