NEW DELHI: Delhi Police’s crime branch on Saturday arrested AAP MLA Naresh Balyan on charges of extortion. It has been alleged that he is operating with gangster Kapil Sangwan, who is behind many extortion and firing cases in the city.
Sangwan, who is in alliance with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is currently in the UK and has a red corner notice against him. Two of his shooters went on a rampage early Nov, firing indiscriminately at two business establishments in Paschim Vihar and Chhawla on the same day following extortion demands from Sangwan. At the end of Aug, Sangwan sent his shooters to fire at a popular confectionery outlet in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar after the owner refused to pay Rs 2 crore as protection money.
The AAP MLA was under investigation since last year after an audio clip of a purported conversation between him and Sangwan, also known as Nandu, surfaced. On Saturday, Balyan was called in for questioning in the case. “However, he didn’t co-operate and was evasive, prompting the need for custodial interrogation,” a senior crime branch officer said. He was arrested around 7 pm in FIR number 191/23, police said.
The case pertains to a purported audio recording in which Sangwan and the MLA were allegedly overheard speaking on the phone and discussing ‘vasooli (recovery)’. They talked about “escalating threats, demanding ransom and distribution of the money collected”.
“In one of the alleged cases discussed, the recovery was purportedly done from Guru Charan, the owner of ASD Builders. Charan was given death threats if he didn’t make the payment, it was alleged. Charan filed a complaint with Delhi Police, prompting the action,” the officer added.
In the recording seized by police, the MLA allegedly asked about the target, to which Sangwan replied, saying that Guru Charan, a builder in Puran sector, was on his list. The gangster asked if the MLA would arrange recovery, he would make the “necessary phone calls”.
Balyan, who represents Delhi’s Uttam Nagar constituency, also served as the DDC chairman for south Delhi.
Sangwan has occupied a place in the list of top wanted gangsters after he orchestrated the assassination of INLD Haryana unit chief Nafe Singh Rathi. The fugitive has been operating a lucrative extortion racket through shooters recruited via social media. His brother, Jyoti Baba, is currently serving time in Tihar Jail.
Sangwan has a rivalry with gangster Manjeet Mahal since the latter bumped off Sangwan’s brother-in-law in 2015. Sangwan hit back, and the siblings carried out a series of murders in the last decade.